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CompletedNCT02764593Updated Nov 29, 2022

Safety Testing of Adding Nivolumab to Chemotherapy in Patients With Intermediate and High-Risk Local-Regionally Advanced Head and Neck Cancer

A Phase 1 interventional study of Nivolumab and Cisplatin in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma (HNSCC), sponsored by RTOG Foundation, Inc.. Completed at 11 sites in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2022-11-29.

Sponsored by RTOG Foundation, Inc. · Phase 1, Interventional, and Treatment

Phase
Phase 1
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
40
Allocation
Non-randomized
Ages
18 Years and older
Sex
All
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Study summary

This study will evaluate the safety of adding nivolumab to several chemotherapy platforms with weekly cisplatin, high-dose cisplatin, cetuximab or radiation therapy alone.

02

Conditions studied

  • Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma (HNSCC)

Keywords

  • Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma
  • HNSCC
  • Nivolumab
03

In context

Carcinoma

6,741 studies on the registry are indexed under Carcinoma; 1,161 are open to participants now.

This study's enrollment of 40 is below the median of 45 across 5,170 interventional studies indexed under Carcinoma.

Browse Carcinoma studies →

Lead sponsor

RTOG Foundation, Inc. is the lead sponsor of 6 studies on the registry; 1 is open to participants now.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years and older
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

  • Histologically or cytologically-confirmed diagnosis of HNSCC of the oral cavity, oropharynx, larynx, or hypopharynx.
  • Intermediate-risk group: Oropharynx cancer that is p16-positive by immunohistochemistry with smoking status > 10 Pack-years, stage T1-2N2b-N3 OR ≤ 10 pack-years, stage T4N0-N3 or T1-3N3.
  • High-risk group: Oral cavity, larynx, hypopharynx, or p16-negative oropharynx cancer, stage T1-2N2a-N3 or T3-4-N0-3 based on the following diagnostic workup:

    • Mandatory submission of H\&E and p16 stained slides for central review of p16 staining is required for oropharyngeal patients and H\&E stained slide block (or punch biopsy of paraffin block) for PD-L1 expression analysis for all patients
    • History/physical examination within 28 days prior to registration
    • Examination by Radiation Oncologist, Medical Oncologist, and Ear, Nose, Throat (ENT) or Head \& Neck Surgeon within 28 days prior to registration
    • Fiberoptic exam with laryngopharyngoscopy within 28 days prior to registration
    • Diagnostic quality, cross sectional imaging of the thorax within 28 days prior to registration; 18-F-FDG-PET/CT or conventional CT are acceptable.
    • Diagnostic quality CT or MRI of neck, with contrast, within 28 days prior to registration; a 18-F-FDG-PET/CT of the neck only is acceptable as a substitute if the CT is of diagnostic quality and with IV contrast.
  • Age ≥ 18 years
  • The trial is open to both genders

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Definitive clinical or radiologic evidence of distant (beyond cervical lymph node and neck tissue) metastatic disease.
  • Patients with oral cavity cancer are excluded from participation if resection of the primary tumor is considered technically feasible by an oral or head and neck cancers surgical subspecialist.
  • Carcinoma of the neck of unknown primary site origin (even if p16-positive).
  • Absence of RECIST, v. 1.1 defined measurable disease.
  • Gross total excision of both primary and nodal disease; this includes tonsillectomy, local excision of primary site, and nodal excision that removes all clinically and radiographically evident disease. Patients with RECIST, v. 1.1 evaluable remaining cancer either in the neck or primary site remain eligible.
  • Simultaneous primary cancers or separate bilateral primary tumor sites.
  • Prior invasive malignancy (except non-melanomatous skin cancer) unless disease free for a minimum of 3 years; (for example, carcinoma in situ of the breast, oral cavity, or cervix are all permissible).
  • Prior systemic chemotherapy for the study cancer.
  • Prior radiotherapy to the region of the study cancer that would result in overlap of radiation therapy fields.
  • Patients with active autoimmune disease, with exceptions of vitiligo, type I diabetes mellitus, hypothyroidism and psoriasis.
  • Use of systemic corticosteroids (> 10 mg daily prednisone or equivalent) or other immunosuppressive medications within 14 days of study drug administration, with exception of inhaled or topical steroids.
  • Known immunosuppressive disease, for example HIV infection or history of bone marrow transplant or chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).
05

Study design

Phase
Phase 1
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Non-randomized
Intervention model
Sequential assignment
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
40 participants (actual)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Arm 1 (Nivolumab + Cisplatin)

    Patients will receive Nivolumab via IV administration every 14 days for 10 doses starting 14 days prior to IMRT. Cisplatin will be given weekly. IMRT will be given at 5 fractions per week for 7 weeks for a dose of 70 Gy. Adjuvant nivolumab every 28 days for 7 doses will be administered starting 3 months after end of chemoradiation. Adjuvant administration of nivolumab may be discontinued if more than 4 of first 8 patients receive less than 7 doses.

    Drug: Nivolumab · Drug: Cisplatin · Radiation: IMRT

  • Experimental
    Arm 2 (Nivolumab + High-dose Cisplatin)

    Patients will receive Nivolumab via IV administration starting 14 days prior to IMRT, then Day 1 of IMRT and then every 21 days for 6 doses. Cisplatin will be given every 21 days for 3 doses. IMRT will be given at 5 fractions per week for 7 weeks for a dose of 70 Gy. Adjuvant nivolumab every 28 days for 7 doses will be administered starting 3 months after end of chemoradiation. Adjuvant administration of nivolumab may be discontinued if more than 4 of first 8 patients receive less than 7 doses.

    Drug: Nivolumab · Drug: Cisplatin · Radiation: IMRT

  • Experimental
    Arm 3 (Nivolumab + Cetuximab)

    Patients will receive Nivolumab via IV administration every 14 days for 10 doses starting 14 days prior to IMRT. Cetuximab will be given for 7 doses. IMRT will be given at 5 fractions per week for 7 weeks for a dose of 70 Gy. Adjuvant nivolumab every 28 days for 7 doses will be administered starting 3 months after end of chemoradiation. Adjuvant administration of nivolumab may be discontinued if more than 4 of first 8 patients receive less than 7 doses.

    Drug: Nivolumab · Drug: Cetuximab · Radiation: IMRT

  • Experimental
    Arm 4 (Nivolumab + IMRT)

    Patients will receive Nivolumab via IV administration every 14 days for 10 doses starting 14 days prior to IMRT. IMRT will be given at 5 fractions per week for 7 weeks for a dose of 70 Gy. Adjuvant nivolumab every 28 days for 7 doses will be administered starting 3 months after end of chemoradiation. Adjuvant administration of nivolumab may be discontinued if more than 4 of first 8 patients receive less than 7 doses.

    Drug: Nivolumab · Radiation: IMRT

Interventions

  • DrugNivolumab

    Anti-PD-1 targeted immunotherapy

    Also known as: Opdivo

  • DrugCisplatin

    Anti-cancer alkylating agent

    Also known as: Platinol

  • DrugCetuximab

    Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) antagonist

    Also known as: Erbitux

  • RadiationIMRT

    High-precision radiotherapy

    Also known as: Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Dose Limiting Toxicity (DLT)

    A nivolumab attributable, dose-limiting toxicity (DLT) will be defined as follows: 1) Any ≥ grade 3 adverse event (CTCAE, v. 4) that is related to nivolumab that does not resolve to grade 1 or less within 28 days; 2) A delay in radiotherapy of \> 2 weeks due to toxicity related to nivolumab; 3) Inability to complete radiotherapy due to toxicity related to nivolumab; 4) Inability to receive an adequate dose (≥ 70%) of cisplatin (Arm 1 and 2) or cetuximab (Arm 3) due to toxicity definitely related to nivolumab.

    Time frame: From the first dose of nivolumab to 28 days after the completion of radiation therapy.

07

Study locations

11 sites
  • Stanford Cancer Institute
    Palo Alto, California 94304, United States
  • University of Florida Cancer Center at Orlando Health
    Orlando, Florida 32806, United States
  • Emory University/Winship Cancer Institute
    Atlanta, Georgia 30322, United States
  • University of Louisville
    Louisville, Kentucky 40202, United States
  • University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center
    Cleveland, Ohio 44106, United States
  • Ohio State University
    Columbus, Ohio 43210, United States
  • Providence Portland Medical Center
    Portland, Oregon 97213, United States
  • UPMC - Shadyside Hospital
    Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15232, United States
  • MD Anderson Cancer Center
    Houston, Texas 77030, United States
  • Inova Fairfax Hospital
    Falls Church, Virginia 22042, United States
  • University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics
    Madison, Wisconsin 53792, United States
08

References and documents

Publications

  • Gillison ML, Ferris RL, Harris J, Colevas AD, Mell LK, Kong C, Jordan RC, Moore KL, Truong MT, Kirsch C, Chakravarti A, Blakaj DM, Clump DA, Ohr JP, Deeken JF, Gensheimer MF, Saba NF, Dorth JA, Rosenthal DI, Leidner RS, Kimple RJ, Machtay M, Curran WJ Jr, Torres-Saavedra P, Le QT. Safety of Nivolumab Added to Chemoradiation Therapy Platforms for Intermediate and High-Risk Locoregionally Advanced Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma: RTOG Foundation 3504. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys. 2023 Mar 15;115(4):847-860. doi: 10.1016/j.ijrobp.2022.10.008. Epub 2022 Oct 11. PubMed 36228746 ↗

Study documents

  • Protocol and statistical analysis plan · Dec 26, 2017
  • Informed consent form · Jan 23, 2018

Documents are hosted by the registry — open the source record to download them.

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No

09

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Nov 29, 2022, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
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Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT02764593
Lead sponsor
RTOG Foundation, Inc.
Collaborators
Bristol-Myers Squibb
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
May 6, 2016
Start date
Jun 2016
Primary completion
Sep 25, 2018
Completion
Feb 21, 2022
Last update
Nov 29, 2022

Study contacts

Maura Gillison, MD, PhD
principal investigator · RTOG Foundation
Robert Ferris, MD, PhD
principal investigator · RTOG Foundation

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
Yes
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

Not currently enrolling

This study is completed, as verified in Nov 2022. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

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