A Study of Becotatug Vedotin (MRG003) Combined With Epirubicin as Neoadjuvant Therapy for EGFR-Positive, Unresectable Recurrent Sinonasal Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma (MRG003-SACC)

May 8, 2026 updated by: Quan Liu, Eye & ENT Hospital of Fudan University

Becotatug Vedotin (MRG003) Combined With Epirubicin as Neoadjuvant Therapy for EGFR-Positive, Unresectable Recurrent Sinonasal Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma: A Prospective, Multicenter Clinical Study

This prospective, multicenter clinical study aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of neoadjuvant therapy with MRG003 (Becotatug vedotin) combined with epirubicin in patients with EGFR-positive, unresectable recurrent sinonasal adenoid cystic carcinoma (SNACC). The primary question is whether this combination can achieve a sufficient objective response rate (ORR) to enable subsequent radical surgery or improve disease control.

Study Overview

Status

Recruiting

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

This is a prospective, multicenter, single-arm, open-label phase II clinical study. Patients with histologically confirmed recurrent sinonasal adenoid cystic carcinoma (SNACC) that is deemed unresectable by a multidisciplinary team (MDT) and positive for EGFR expression (IHC) are eligible.

Intervention:

  • MRG003 (Becotatug vedotin): 2.0 mg/kg IV on day 1 of each 21-day cycle.
  • Epirubicin: 75 mg/m² IV on day 1 of each 21-day cycle.
  • Total of 3 neoadjuvant cycles.

Primary Outcome Measure: Objective response rate (ORR) according to RECIST v1.1, assessed 21 days (±7 days) after the third cycle.

Secondary Outcome Measures:

  • Safety and tolerability (CTCAE v5.0)
  • Surgical conversion rate (proportion of patients achieving R0/R1 resection after neoadjuvant therapy)
  • R0 resection rate and pathological response rate (major pathological response ≤10% viable tumor cells; pathological complete response 0%)
  • Disease control rate (DCR), progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS)

Sample Size: 40 evaluable patients. Assuming a historical ORR of 10% with single-agent epirubicin, the study is designed to detect an improvement to 35% with the combination (one-sided exact binomial test, α=0.05, power 80%). The sample size also ensures sufficient power for key secondary endpoints and supports the translational sub-study (≥28 successful organoid models).

Translational Research Component: Pre-treatment tumor biopsies will be used to establish patient-derived organoids (PDOs). Organoids will be characterized (H&E, immunofluorescence, STR genotyping) and tested ex vivo for sensitivity to MRG003, epirubicin, and their combination. Associations between organoid drug sensitivity and clinical response (ORR, tumor shrinkage, PFS) will be explored.

Statistical Analysis: Primary analysis will be performed on the full analysis set (all treated patients). ORR and other binary endpoints will be reported with exact 95% confidence intervals (Clopper-Pearson method). PFS and OS will be estimated using Kaplan-Meier method. Translational data will be analyzed using Spearman rank correlation, Chi-square or Fisher's exact tests, and exploratory Cox regression.

Study Duration: Approximately 48 months, including 24 months enrollment, 3-6 months treatment/short-term follow-up per patient, and 24 months long-term survival follow-up after last patient enrollment.

Data Monitoring: An independent Data Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB) will conduct interim safety review after 20 patients are enrolled.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

40

Phase

  • 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

  • Name: Quan Liu, Director
  • Phone Number: 8615001959681
  • Email: liuqent@163.com

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

      • Shanghai, China
        • Recruiting
        • Eye & ENT Hospital of Fudan University
        • Contact:

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

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

Age ≥ 18 years, male or female. Histopathologically confirmed primary sinonasal adenoid cystic carcinoma (SNACC) that is locally recurrent after prior surgery and/or radiotherapy.

EGFR expression positive by immunohistochemistry (IHC) performed at a central laboratory.

Multidisciplinary team (MDT) assessment at baseline confirms that the tumor is not amenable to radical (R0) surgical resection.

At least one measurable lesion in the skull base/sinonasal region according to RECIST v1.1 (longest diameter ≥ 10 mm).

Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status of 0 or 1. Adequate bone marrow, hepatic, renal, and cardiac function as defined by protocol-specified laboratory parameters.

Willing to provide written informed consent (including consent for clinical treatment and biospecimen research) and able to comply with study procedures.

Exclusion Criteria:

Prior treatment with any antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) that contains monomethyl auristatin E (MMAE) as the payload.

Prior systemic chemotherapy containing epirubicin or any other anthracycline within 6 months before study enrollment.

Active uncontrolled infection, or active autoimmune disease requiring systemic therapy.

Symptomatic or urgent (e.g., requiring radiotherapy or surgery) central nervous system (CNS) metastases.

Known severe hypersensitivity to any component of the study drugs. Pregnant or breastfeeding women, or men/women planning to become pregnant within 6 months after the last dose of study treatment.

Any medical or psychosocial condition that, in the investigator's judgment, may interfere with study participation, increase patient risk, or confound data interpretation.

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: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: MRG003 + Epirubicin
Participants receive MRG003 (Becotatug vedotin) 2.0 mg/kg intravenously on day 1 plus epirubicin 75 mg/m² intravenously on day 1 of each 21-day cycle for 3 cycles.

Becotatug vedotin (also known as MRG003) is an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) targeting epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). It consists of a recombinant anti-EGFR humanized monoclonal antibody conjugated to the microtubule-disrupting agent monomethyl auristatin E (MMAE) via a valine-citrulline linker. It is administered intravenously at 2.0 mg/kg on day 1 of each 21-day cycle for 3 cycles.

Epirubicin is an anthracycline chemotherapeutic agent that inhibits topoisomerase II, thereby interfering with DNA replication and transcription. It is administered intravenously at 75 mg/m² on day 1 of each 21-day cycle for 3 cycles.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Objective Response Rate (ORR)
Time Frame: 21 days (±7 days) after completion of the third cycle of neoadjuvant therapy (each cycle is 21 days).
Proportion of participants achieving complete response (CR) or partial response (PR) as assessed by the investigator according to RECIST v1.1 criteria.
21 days (±7 days) after completion of the third cycle of neoadjuvant therapy (each cycle is 21 days).

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Safety and tolerability
Time Frame: From first dose of study treatment up to 30 days after last dose (approximately 4 months per participant).
Incidence, severity, and relationship of adverse events (AEs) and serious adverse events (SAEs) graded according to CTCAE v5.0.
From first dose of study treatment up to 30 days after last dose (approximately 4 months per participant).
Surgical conversion rate
Time Frame: Within 4 weeks after completion of neoadjuvant therapy (i.e., approximately 3.5 months from treatment start).
Proportion of participants who undergo radical surgery (R0 or R1 resection) after neoadjuvant therapy, as assessed by multidisciplinary team (MDT).
Within 4 weeks after completion of neoadjuvant therapy (i.e., approximately 3.5 months from treatment start).
Disease control rate (DCR)
Time Frame: 21 days (±7 days) after completion of the third cycle of neoadjuvant therapy.
Proportion of participants achieving complete response (CR), partial response (PR), or stable disease (SD) according to RECIST v1.1.
21 days (±7 days) after completion of the third cycle of neoadjuvant therapy.
R0 resection rate
Time Frame: At time of surgery (within 4 weeks after neoadjuvant therapy completion).
Among participants who undergo surgery, proportion with negative microscopic margins (R0) on final histopathology.
At time of surgery (within 4 weeks after neoadjuvant therapy completion).
Pathologic response rate
Time Frame: At time of surgery (within 4 weeks after neoadjuvant therapy completion).
Among participants who undergo surgery, proportion achieving major pathologic response (≤10% viable tumor cells) or pathologic complete response (0% viable tumor cells).
At time of surgery (within 4 weeks after neoadjuvant therapy completion).
Progression-free survival (PFS)
Time Frame: Assessed every 3 months for the first 2 years, then every 6 months up to 5 years, or until death or study completion (up to 48 months from first participant enrolled).
Time from enrollment to first documented disease progression (by RECIST v1.1) or death from any cause, whichever occurs first.
Assessed every 3 months for the first 2 years, then every 6 months up to 5 years, or until death or study completion (up to 48 months from first participant enrolled).
Overall survival (OS)
Time Frame: Assessed every 3 months for the first 2 years, then every 6 months up to 5 years, or until death or study completion (up to 48 months from first participant enrolled).
Time from enrollment to death from any cause.
Assessed every 3 months for the first 2 years, then every 6 months up to 5 years, or until death or study completion (up to 48 months from first participant enrolled).

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

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)

May 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

October 1, 2028

Study Completion (Estimated)

July 1, 2030

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

April 4, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

April 4, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

April 13, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

May 12, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 8, 2026

Last Verified

April 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

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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