Neoadjuvant Nimotuzumab Plus Gemcitabine and Carboplatin in Unresectable Stage III Squamous Cell Lung Carcinoma

• Target population is unresectable stage III squamous cell lung carcinoma.
• Written informed consent provided.
• Male and female patients aged ≥18 years, ≤75 years.
• Able to comply with the required protocol and follow-up procedures, and able to receive oral medications.
• Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status of 0-1.
• Life expectancy ≥12 weeks.
• Adequate hematological function: Absolute neutrophil count (ANC) ≥2.0 x 109/L, and Platelet count ≥100 x 109/L, and Hemoglobin ≥9 g/dL (may be transfused to maintain or exceed this level).
• Adequate liver function: Total bilirubin ≤ 1.5 x upper limit of normal (ULN), Aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) ≤ 2.5 x ULN in subjects without liver metastases; ≤ 5 x ULN in subjects with liver metastases.
• Adequate renal function: Serum creatinine ≤ 1.25 x ULN, or ≥ 60 ml/min.
• Female subjects should not be pregnant or breast-feeding.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Known severe hypersensitivity to nimotuzumab or any of the excipients of this product.
• Inability to comply with protocol or study procedures.
• A serious concomitant systemic disorder that, in the opinion of the investigator, would compromise the patient's ability to complete the study.
• A serious cardiac condition, such as myocardial infarction within 6 months, angina, or heart disease.
• Patients with prior exposure to agents directed at the HER axis (e.g. erlotinib, gefitinib, cetuximab, trastuzumab).
• Patients with prior chemotherapy or therapy with systemic anti-tumour therapy (e.g. monoclonal antibody therapy).
• Patients with prior radiotherapy
• History of another malignancy in the last 5 years with the exception of the following: other malignancies cured by surgery alone and having a continuous disease-free interval of 5 years are permitted. Cured basal cell carcinoma of the skin and cured in situ carcinoma of the uterine cervix are permitted.
• Any unstable systemic disease (including active infection, uncontrolled hypertension, unstable angina, congestive heart failure, myocardial infarction within the previous year, serious cardiac arrhythmia requiring medication, hepatic, renal, or metabolic disease).
• Evidence of any other disease, neurological or metabolic dysfunction, physical examination or laboratory finding giving reasonable suspicion of a disease or condition that contraindicated the use of an investigational drug or puts the subject at high risk for treatment-related complications.
• Patient who has active serious infection (e.g. pyrexia of or 38.0℃ over).