Induction Chemotherapy Response-Guided Reduced-Dose Radiotherapy for Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma

August 26, 2026 updated by: Chaosu Hu, Fudan University

Induction Chemotherapy Response-Guided Reduced-Dose Radiotherapy for Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma: A Prospective Single-center Randomized Phase II Study

To evaluate whether the 2-year local failure-free survival (LRFFS) in Cohort 1 patients with AJCC/UICC 8th edition stage IB-II nasopharyngeal carcinoma who achieved EBV-DNA = 0 after induction chemotherapy and had MRI assessment of complete response (CR) or partial response (PR) ≥50% is non-inferior when treated with reduced-dose IMRT (59.4 Gy/27 fractions) compared to standard-dose IMRT (66.0 Gy/30 fractions).

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

This study focused on patients with AJCC/UICC 9th edition stage IB-II（The participants were required to have no extensive skull base invasion and lymph nodes < 4 cm before treatment）. It aimed to adaptively guide the reduction of radiation dose for nasopharyngeal carcinoma based on the response to induction chemotherapy, thereby minimizing radiation-related toxicity while ensuring local control. Cohort 1 was randomly assigned 1:1 to the 59.4 Gy/27 fractions group and the 66.0 Gy/30 fractions group and compared their LRFFS. The participants were required to have EBV-DNA = 0 and CR or PR > 50% after 2 courses of induction therapy. Those who did not meet the criteria were assigned to Cohort 2 to receive standard-dose radiotherapy combined with concurrent cisplatin to avoid excessive reduction of intensity for potentially high-risk patients.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
269

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Phase 2

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

  • China
    • Shanghai Municipality
      • Shanghai, Shanghai Municipality, China, 200032

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Age: 18 - 65 years old.
  • Pathologically confirmed nasopharyngeal carcinoma, WHO type II or III non-keratinizing cancer.
  • AJCC/UICC 9th edition stage IB-II untreated non-metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma (T3 requires no extensive cranial base invasion and the invasion volume should be < 22 mL; N1-2 requires baseline lymph nodes < 4 cm).
  • Before treatment, plasma EBV-DNA needs to be tested and dynamic monitoring of EBV-DNA can be completed.
  • ECOG performance status 0 - 1 points.
  • Main organ functions meet the following requirements: neutrophils ≥ 1.5 × 10^9/L, platelets ≥ 100 × 10^9/L, hemoglobin ≥ 90 g/L; ALT/AST ≤ 2.5 × ULN, total bilirubin ≤ 1.5 × ULN; creatinine clearance rate ≥ 60 mL/min.
  • Sign a written informed consent form and be willing to complete the treatment, follow-up and quality of life assessment according to the protocol.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Metastasis to T4, N3 or distant sites; AJCC/UICC 9th edition stage III-IV.
  • Had received chemotherapy, targeted therapy, or immunotherapy before the diagnosis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma, and had a history of radiotherapy or surgery for head and neck tumors (except for diagnostic biopsies).
  • Pregnant or lactating; non-pregnant and non-lactating subjects who do not agree to take effective contraceptive measures.
  • Had severe and uncontrollable heart, lung, liver, kidney, neurological or mental diseases, and the investigator judged that they were not suitable for radical treatment or affected compliance.
  • Had a history of other malignant tumors within the past 5 years, except for the following situations: cured localized tumors, such as skin basal cell carcinoma, skin squamous cell carcinoma, superficial bladder cancer, prostate carcinoma in situ, cervical carcinoma in situ, breast carcinoma in situ, papillary thyroid carcinoma, etc.
  • Could not complete the imaging examinations, EBV-DNA tests, follow-up or quality of life assessment as required by the protocol.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Experimental group
reduced dose group
Radiation: reduced dose group
59.4 Gy/27F
Active Comparator: Control group
standard dose group
Radiation: Standard Dose Group
66 Gy/30F
Other: Corhort 2
Other: concurrent chemoradiotherapy
66.0-70.4 Gy/30-32F + cisplatin 80 mg/m² q3w×2

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
2-year Locoregional Failure-Free Survival，2-y LRFFS
Time Frame: 2 year
The time from enrollment to the first local or regional failure or any cause of death is determined by the event that occurs first. For those who did not experience any of these events, they are censored at the last valid follow-up date.
2 year

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
2-year Failure-Free Survival，2-y FFS
Time Frame: 2 year
The time from enrollment to the first occurrence of local regional failure, distant metastasis, or death due to any cause is determined by the event that occurs first.
2 year
2-year Overall Survival，2-y OS
Time Frame: 2 year
The time from enrollment to any cause of death; for those who were still alive at the end of the follow-up, the data are censored at the date of the last confirmed survival.
2 year
2-year Distant Failure-Free Survival，2-y DFFS
Time Frame: 2 year
The time from enrollment to the first distant metastasis or any cause of death is determined by the event that occurs first.
2 year
Acute Adverse Events，acute AEs
Time Frame: up to 90 days after radiotherapy
The evaluation was conducted according to NCI-CTCAE v5.0 from the start of radiotherapy to 90 days after radiotherapy.
up to 90 days after radiotherapy
Late Adverse Events，late AEs
Time Frame: After 90 days of radiotherapy to the date of death，assessed up to 2 years or more.
After 90 days of radiotherapy, the evaluation was conducted according to CTCAE v5.0 and RTOG/EORTC standards for late radiation injury.
After 90 days of radiotherapy to the date of death，assessed up to 2 years or more.
Quality of Life，QoL (EORTC QLQ-H&N35）
Time Frame: baseline and up to one year
Changes in QoL of participants from baseline to up to 6 months after the completion of radiotherapy. QoL will be evaluated with the questionnaires of the head-and-neck-specific module (H&N35) of the Quality of Life Questionnaire-Core 30 module (QLQ-C30). Higher scores mean a worse outcome.
baseline and up to one year

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Fudan University

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Xiayun He, Fudan University

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
September 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
August 31, 2031

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
August 31, 2031

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
August 23, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
August 26, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
August 27, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
August 27, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
August 26, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
August 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • ADAPT-02

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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