Becotatug Vedotin Plus Sintilimab in Locoregionally Advanced NPC

Becotatug Vedotin Combined With Sintilimab and Chemoradiotherapy in Locoregionally Advanced Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma：A Multicenter, Randomized, Controlled, Phase 3 Trial

This study is a multicenter, randomized, controlled phase III clinical trial aiming to investigate the efficacy and safety of Becotatug Vedotin induction therapy followed by concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) combined with neoadjuvant and adjuvant sintilimab, versus gemcitabine plus cisplatin (GP) induction chemotherapy followed by CCRT, in the treatment of high-risk locally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (LANPC). The study plans to enroll 266 patients with high-risk NPC (AJCC 9th edition, anyT N2-3M0 or T4N1M0), who will be randomly assigned to the experimental group or the control group at a 1:1 ratio.The primary endpoint is 3-year event-free survival (EFS), and the secondary endpoints include overall survival (OS), local-regional failure-free survival (LRFFS), distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS), objective response rate (ORR), adverse events, and quality of life.

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma (NPC)
• Intervention / Treatment: Drug: Gemcitabine (GEM); Drug: Becotatug Vedotin; Drug: Sintilimab; Drug: Cisplatin; Radiation: intensity-modulated radiotherapy; Drug: Cisplatin

Detailed Description

This is a multicenter, randomized, controlled phase III clinical study targeting patients with high-risk locally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (stage T1-4N2-3M0 or T4N1M0 per the 9th AJCC/UICC staging system), with a planned enrollment of 266 patients who will be randomized 1:1 into an experimental group and a control group under an open-label, stratified randomization design. The primary endpoint of the study is 3-year event-free survival (EFS), and the secondary endpoints include efficacy measures such as overall survival and locoregional recurrence-free survival, as well as safety and quality of life assessments; additionally, the study explores the predictive value of efficacy biomarkers including EGFR expression and combined positive score (CPS). The experimental group is administered neoadjuvant therapy with becotatug vedotin plus sintilimab for 3 cycles, followed by concurrent chemoradiotherapy with cisplatin combined with adjuvant sintilimab therapy for 9 cycles, while the control group receives induction chemotherapy with gemcitabine plus cisplatin (GP regimen) for 3 cycles followed by concurrent chemoradiotherapy with cisplatin. Intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) is uniformly adopted for all patients in both groups, with standardized target volume doses and normal organ dose constraints defined. The study has also formulated detailed protocols for drug dose adjustment and toxicity monitoring; treatment-related adverse events are graded and managed in accordance with the NCI-CTCAE v5.0 and RTOG/EORTC criteria, and the EORTC QLQ-C30 scale is used to evaluate patients' quality of life. The study aims to verify that the innovative treatment regimen of becotatug vedotin combined with sintilimab yields superior efficacy with a manageable safety profile compared with the conventional GP induction chemotherapy followed by chemoradiotherapy in patients with high-risk locally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma, thereby providing a novel treatment option for this patient population and supplementing high-level evidence-based medical evidence. Meanwhile, it explores relevant biomarkers to lay a foundation for individualized treatment.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 266
• Phase: Phase 3

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Min Kang, MD; Phone Number: +86-771-5356509; Email: kangmin@gxmu.edu.cn

Study Locations

• China
  • Guangxi
    • Nanning, Guangxi, China, 530021
      • Recruiting
      • The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University
      • Contact: Min Kang, MD; Phone Number: +86-771-5356509; Email: kangmin@gxmu.edu.cn

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Voluntarily participate in the study and sign the informed consent form in writing.
2. Aged 18-70 years, male or non-pregnant female.
3. Pathologically confirmed as nasopharyngeal non-keratinizing carcinoma (differentiated or undifferentiated type, i.e., WHO type II or III).
4. Staged as anyT N2-3 or T4N1 (9th AJCC/UICC staging) without distant metastasis.
5. ECOG performance status score of 0-1.
6. Hemoglobin (HGB) ≥ 90 g/L, neutrophil count ≥ 1.5×10⁹/L, and platelet (PLT) count ≥ 100×10⁹/L.
7. Liver function: Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) ≤ 2.5 times the upper limit of normal (ULN), and total bilirubin ≤ 1.5 times ULN.
8. Normal renal function: Creatinine clearance rate ≥ 60 ml/min (calculated using the Cockcroft-Gault formula).
9. Sexually active females of childbearing potential must agree to use effective contraceptive measures during treatment and for 1 year after the last administration of the study drug. Males who have sexual relations with females of childbearing potential must also agree to use effective contraceptive measures during treatment and for 1 year after the last administration of the study drug.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Aged > 70 years or < 18 years.
2. Patients with recurrent or distant metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma.
3. Pathologically confirmed as keratinizing squamous cell carcinoma (WHO type I).
4. Patients who have previously received radiotherapy or systemic chemotherapy.
5. Positive for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) with hepatitis B virus DNA > 1000 copies/mL or 200 IU/mL.
6. Positive for hepatitis C virus antibody (anti-HCV).
7. Patients with active autoimmune diseases, excluding type 1 diabetes mellitus, hypothyroidism controlled by replacement therapy, and skin diseases that do not require systemic treatment (e.g., vitiligo, psoriasis, or alopecia).
8. Patients who received systemic glucocorticoids (equivalent to prednisone > 10 mg/day) or other immunosuppressive therapy within 28 days prior to signing the informed consent form. Patients who received systemic glucocorticoids equivalent to prednisone ≤ 10 mg/day, inhaled or topical glucocorticoids are eligible for enrollment.
9. Patients with a history of active tuberculosis within the past year; patients with active tuberculosis that has been adequately treated for more than one year are eligible for enrollment. Patients with a history of other malignant tumors (except cured basal cell carcinoma or carcinoma in situ of the cervix).
10. Patients with a history of interstitial lung disease.
11. Patients who received live vaccines within 30 days prior to signing the informed consent form or plan to receive live vaccines in the near future.
12. Pregnant or lactating females.
13. Patients with a history of other malignant tumors within the past 5 years, except carcinoma in situ, adequately treated non-melanoma skin cancer, and papillary thyroid cancer.
14. Patients with known hypersensitivity to any component of gemcitabine, cisplatin, becotatug vedotin, or sintilimab.
15. Patients with known history of HIV infection.
16. Any other conditions deemed by the investigator to potentially affect the patient's ability to sign the informed consent form, cooperate with and participate in the study, or interfere with the interpretation of results, including symptomatic heart failure, unstable angina pectoris, myocardial infarction, active infections requiring systemic treatment, mental illnesses, or family/social factors.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

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

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Becotatug Vedotin followed by CCRT plus Sintilimab; Patients will receive Becotatug Vedotin induction therapy followed by CCRT combined with neoadjuvant and adjuvant sintilimab	Drug: Becotatug Vedotin; Becotatug vedotin 2.3 mg/kg will be given on Day 1 of induction therapy, once every 3 weeks for a total of 3 cycles.; Drug: Sintilimab; In the induction treatment phase, sintilimab 200 mg will be administered on Day 1 of each induction cycle, once every 3 weeks, for a total of 3 cycles. In the adjuvant treatment phase, sintilimab 200 mg will be given on Day 1, initiated 3 weeks after the completion of radiotherapy, once every 3 weeks, for a total of 9 cycles.; Drug: Cisplatin; Concurrent cisplatin 100mg/m2, every 3 weeks for 2 cycles during radiation; Radiation: intensity-modulated radiotherapy; Definitive intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) of 6996cGy will be given in 33 fractions; Drug: Cisplatin; Induction cisplatin 80mg/m2, every 3 weeks for 3 cycles before radiation
Active Comparator: Induction Chemotherapy followed by CCRT; Patients will receive gemcitabine plus cisplatin induction chemotherapy followed by CCRT	Drug: Gemcitabine (GEM); Gemcitabine 1g/m2, d1 & 8 of every cycle, every 3 weeks for 3 cycles before radiation.; Drug: Cisplatin; Concurrent cisplatin 100mg/m2, every 3 weeks for 2 cycles during radiation; Radiation: intensity-modulated radiotherapy; Definitive intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) of 6996cGy will be given in 33 fractions; Drug: Cisplatin; Induction cisplatin 80mg/m2, every 3 weeks for 3 cycles before radiation

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Event-free survival (EFS)	The time interval from randomization to the first treatment failure or the last follow-up if there is no treatment failure. Treatment failure is defined as local/cervical residual disease 16 weeks after radiotherapy, local/cervical recurrence, distant metastasis, or death due to any cause,whichever occurred first.	3 years

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Adverse events (AEs) and serious adverse events (SAEs)	Graded according to CTCAE V5.0.	3 years
Overall survival (OS)	The time interval from randomization to the date of death from any cause.	3 years
Distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS)	The time interval from randomization to the date of first distant metastasis, or death from any cause, whichever occurred first.	3 years
Locoregional recurrence-free survival (LRFS)	The time interval randomization to the date of locoregional persistence, 1st locoregional recurrence, or death from any cause, whichever occurred first.	3 years
Quality of life (QoL)	The change of QoL from randomization to the start of radiotherapy,the 16th fraction of radiotherapy, the end of radiotherapy, 43 weeks (at the end of sintilimab treatment in the sintilimab arm and the corresponding timepoint in the chemoradiation arm). The EORTC QoL questionnaire-C30 (EORTC QLQ-C30）version 3.0 will be used. This questionnaire comprises 30 questions, 24 of which are aggregated into nine multi-question scales, that is, five functioning scales (e.g., physical), three symptom scales (e.g., fatigue) and one global health status scale. The remaining six single-question (e.g., dyspnoea) scales assess symptoms. These 15 scales will be scored according to the official Scoring Manual.	3 years
Event-free survival (EFS) within different subgroups	analyses for EFS will be performed within the following subgroups: Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) DNA (<4000copies/ml vs. ≥4000copies/ml), EGFR expression status (positive vs negative), different PD-L1 expression levels (<1% vs. ≥1%), tertiary lymphoid structure (+ vs. -), age, gender, performance status, T category, N category, and stage (II vs. III).	3 years

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University
• Collaborators: Wuzhou Red Cross Hospital; Xiangya Hospital of Central South University; First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University; Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital; First Hospital of China Medical University; LiuZhou People's Hospital; First People's Hospital of Yulin; Affiliated Hospital of North Sichuan Medical College; Hunan Provincial Cancer Hospital; Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Estimated): March 5, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): April 1, 2030
• Study Completion (Estimated): April 1, 2032

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: March 4, 2026
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 4, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): March 9, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): March 16, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 13, 2026
• Last Verified: March 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Sintilimab; Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma; Concurrent Chemoradiotherapy; Becotatug Vedotin
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Stomatognathic Diseases; Neoplasms by Site; Neoplasms; Neoplasms by Histologic Type; Head and Neck Neoplasms; Neoplasms, Glandular and Epithelial; Carcinoma; Otorhinolaryngologic Diseases; Pharyngeal Neoplasms; Otorhinolaryngologic Neoplasms; Nasopharyngeal Diseases; Pharyngeal Diseases; Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms; Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma; Heterocyclic Compounds, 1-Ring; Heterocyclic Compounds; Therapeutics; Inorganic Chemicals; Chlorine Compounds; Nitrogen Compounds; Deoxycytidine; Cytidine; Pyrimidine Nucleosides; Pyrimidines; Platinum Compounds; Radiotherapy; Radiotherapy, Conformal; Radiotherapy, Computer-Assisted; Gemcitabine; Cisplatin; Radiotherapy, Intensity-Modulated; sintilimab
• Other Study ID Numbers: 2026-K0013

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: UNDECIDED

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No