ClinicalTrials.gg
RecruitingNCT07460765Updated Oct 16, 2026

Safety and Feasibility of Nivolumab-IRDye800CW in Patients With Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma (HNSCC)

A Phase 1 interventional study of Nivo800 and Nivolumab in Hnscc, Head and Neck and Squamous Cell Cancer, sponsored by Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center. Recruiting at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-10-16.

Sponsored by Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center · Phase 1, Interventional, and Diagnostic

From the registry’s dates

  • Started Jul 2026; still recruiting 4 months later.
Phase
Phase 1
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
40
Allocation
Non-randomized
Ages
18 Years and older
Sex
All
01

Study summary

The goal of this Phase 1 clinical trial is to evaluate the safety and feasibility of nivolumab-IRDye800CW (nivo800) as a molecular imaging agent in adults with biopsy-confirmed or presumed head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) who are scheduled to undergo standard-of-care surgical resection.

The main questions it aims to answer are:

  • Is nivolumab-IRDye800CW (nivo800) safe when administered before surgery, as measured by the occurrence of clinically significant Grade ≥2 adverse events that are possibly, probably, or definitely related to the study drug?
  • What is the extent of pathological response at each dose level, including residual viable tumor, fibrosis, necrosis, and tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte characteristics?

Participants will:

  • Receive two intravenous infusions during the preoperative period, approximately 2-3 weeks before surgery and again 1-2 days before surgery.
  • Undergo standard-of-care surgical resection with collection of tumor and lymph node specimens for pathological and imaging studies.
02

Conditions studied

  • Hnscc
  • Head and Neck
  • Squamous Cell Cancer
  • Squamous Carcinoma
  • Squamous Cell Cancer of Head and Neck (SCCHN)
  • Squamous Cell Carcinoma Head and Neck Cancer (HNSCC)
  • Squamous Cell Carcinoma Mouth
  • Squamous Carcinoma Poorly Differentiated
  • Squamous Cell Cancer of the Head and Neck
  • Squamous Cell Carcinoma (SCC) of the Oral Cavity
  • Squamous Cell Carcinoma (SCC)

Keywords

  • nivo800
  • neoadjuvant
  • surgery
  • head and neck cancer
  • head and neck
  • surgical resection
  • oral cancer
  • SCC
  • HNSCC
03

In context

Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck

2,018 studies on the registry are indexed under Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck; 573 are open to participants now.

This study's planned enrollment of 40 is below the median of 48 across 1,653 interventional studies indexed under Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck.

Browse Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck studies →

Lead sponsor

Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center is the lead sponsor of 223 studies on the registry; 33 are open to participants now.

Of its 23 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 18 (78%) have results posted.

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

Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.

Inclusion criteria

  • Written
  • Age ≥ 18 years
  • Participants must have proven HNSCC or imaging of diagnostic of recurrent cancer or undergoing surgical excision for presumed HNSCC.
  • Adequate hematologic, hepatic function and end-organ function appropriate for surgical resection and anesthesia (within 30 days of infusion).
  • performance status of at least 70% or (ECOG)/Zubrod level 0-2.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Patients not planning for SOC surgical resection
  • Active or history of disease or immune deficiency, including, but not limited to, , myasthenia gravis, myositis, autoimmune hepatitis, systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, antiphospholipid antibody syndrome, Wegener granulomatosis, Sjögren syndrome, Guillain-Barré syndrome, or multiple sclerosis with the following exceptions:

    1. Patients with a history of autoimmune-related hypothyroidism who are on thyroid-replacement hormone are eligible for the study.
    2. Patients with controlled Type 1 diabetes mellitus who are on an insulin regimen are eligible for the study.
    3. Patients with eczema, psoriasis, lichen simplex chronicus, or vitiligo with dermatologic manifestations only (e.g., patients with psoriatic arthritis are excluded) are eligible for the study provided if all the following conditions are met:

      1. Rash must cover \< 10% of body surface area
      2. Disease is well controlled at baseline and requires only low-potency topical
      3. No occurrence of acute exacerbations of the underlying condition requiring psoralen plus ultraviolet A radiation, methotrexate, retinoids, biologic agents, oral calcineurin inhibitors, or high-potency oral corticosteroids within the previous 12 months
  • History of that has not been treated with curative intent.
  • History of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, organizing pneumonia (e.g., bronchiolitis obliterans), drug-induced pneumonitis, or idiopathic pneumonitis, or evidence of active pneumonitis on screening chest CT scan on active systemic therapy.
  • History of radiation pneumonitis in the radiation field (fibrosis) is permitted.
  • Significant cardiovascular disease (such as Class II or greater cardiac disease, myocardial infarction, or cerebrovascular accident) within 3 months prior to initiation of study treatment, unstable arrhythmia, or unstable angina.
  • Severe unresolved infection within 4 weeks prior to initiation of study treatment.
  • Prior allogeneic stem cell or solid organ transplantation.
  • History of severe allergic anaphylactic reactions to chimeric or humanized antibodies or fusion proteins
  • Chronic treatment with systemic medication in excess of physiologic maintenance doses of corticosteroids (>10 mg/day of prednisone or equivalent) (including, but not limited to, corticosteroids, cyclophosphamide, azathioprine, methotrexate, thalidomide, and anti-TNF-a agents), with the following exceptions:

    1. Patients who received acute, systemic immunosuppressant medication or a dose of systemic immunosuppressant medication are eligible for the study.
    2. Physiologic corticosteroid replacement therapy at doses ≤ 10 mg/day of prednisone or equivalent for adrenal or pituitary insufficiency and in the absence of active autoimmune disease is permitted.
    3. Patients with asthma that requires intermittent use of bronchodilators, inhaled steroids, or steroid injections may participate. Pulse oral steroids of ≤5 days is permitted if >30 days from first infusion.
    4. Patients using topical, ocular, intra-articular, or intranasal steroids (with minimal systemic absorption) may participate.
    5. Brief courses of corticosteroids for prophylaxis (e.g., contrast dye allergy) or study treatment-related standard premedication is permitted.
  • Pregnant or breastfeeding, or intention of becoming pregnant during study treatment or within 2 months after the final dose of study drug administration.
  • Participants presenting with a baseline interval > than 480 milliseconds.
Terms in these criteria, in plain language(11)

Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.

Informed consent

Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.

You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.

Biopsy and archival tissue

A biopsy takes a small piece of tissue to examine. “Archival tissue” is a sample already taken, for example at diagnosis, and kept by the hospital.

Whether a stored sample will do depends on when it was taken, how much there is and what the study needs. Ask whether the study accepts your stored sample or needs a new biopsy.

Karnofsky performance status (KPS)

A 0–100 scale of how well someone can carry out everyday activities. 100 is no complaints and no signs of illness; 70 is able to look after yourself but not to work or keep up normal activity; 50 is needing considerable help and frequent medical care.

Studies often ask for 60 or 70 and above. Your doctor gives the score.

ECOG performance status

A scale of how much an illness limits everyday activity. For people being assessed to join a study, scores run from 0 (fully active) to 4; lower is more active.

0
Fully active, no restrictions.
1
Limited in strenuous activity, but walking and able to do light work, such as housework or office work.
2
Walking and able to look after yourself, but unable to work; up and about more than half of waking hours.
3
Able to look after yourself only in part; in bed or a chair more than half of waking hours.
4
Unable to look after yourself at all; in bed or a chair all day.

Studies most often ask for 0–1 or 0–2. Your doctor gives the score; the WHO scale uses the same steps. The full scale also has 5, which records death.

Autoimmune disease

A condition in which the immune system attacks the body’s own tissues, such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, psoriasis, type 1 diabetes or inflammatory bowel disease.

Immunotherapy studies often leave out active autoimmune disease, and some name exceptions, such as thyroid disease on replacement hormone. Check the exceptions this study lists.

HIV

The human immunodeficiency virus, which weakens the immune system.

Many studies now accept people whose HIV is controlled on treatment, judged by the viral load and the CD4 count. Check the limits this study sets.

Corticosteroids (steroids)

Anti-inflammatory medicines such as prednisone, prednisolone and dexamethasone — not the anabolic steroids used for muscle.

Studies differ in what they allow: check which steroid medicines, routes (tablets, injections, creams, inhalers, eye drops) and doses this study accepts.

Hepatitis C tests

Hepatitis C is a virus that infects the liver. An HCV antibody test can stay positive after an infection has cleared (and is occasionally positive without one); an HCV RNA test shows whether the virus is there now.

After treatment, hepatitis C counts as cured when HCV RNA is still undetectable 12 weeks or more after the treatment ended. Studies often accept people cured this way.

NYHA class (heart failure)

The New York Heart Association’s four classes of how much heart failure limits physical activity.

I
No limits: ordinary activity causes no undue tiredness or breathlessness.
II
Slight limits: comfortable at rest, ordinary activity causes symptoms.
III
Marked limits: comfortable at rest, less than ordinary activity causes symptoms.
IV
Symptoms even at rest; any activity makes them worse.

Studies set their own limit — many outside heart failure leave out class III–IV, while heart failure studies may ask for a particular class. Check the class this study names.

Immunosuppression

A weakened immune system. It can come from an illness, such as HIV or some blood cancers, or from medicines that turn the immune system down, for example after an organ transplant or for an autoimmune disease; steroids at higher doses count.

Read whether the line is about a condition or about medicines, and which medicines and doses it means.

QT and QTc

On an ECG, the QT interval is the time the heart’s lower chambers take to activate electrically and recover in each beat. QTc is that time adjusted for heart rate (QTcF by Fridericia’s formula, QTcB by Bazett’s). Some medicines lengthen it, and a long QTc can raise the risk of a dangerous heart rhythm.

The study may name a correction formula and a limit in milliseconds, often around 450–480.

05

Study design

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

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Cohort 1 - Nivo800 (10 mg)

    All participants will receive 10mg of nivo800.

    Drug: Nivo800

  • Experimental
    Cohort 2 - Nivo800 (25 mg)

    Participants will receive 25 mg of nivo800 for each infusion visit.

    Drug: Nivo800

  • Experimental
    Cohort 3 - Nivo800 (50 mg)

    Participants will receive 50 mg of nivo800 every infusion visit.

    Drug: Nivo800

  • Experimental
    Cohort 4 - Nivo800 (50 mg) and Nivolumab (190 mg)

    Participants will receive 190 mg nivolumab and 50 mg nivo800 for every infusion visit.

    Drug: Nivo800 · Drug: Nivolumab

Interventions

  • DrugNivo800

    Participants will receive nivo800 prior to their standard of care surgery.

    Also known as: nivolumab

  • DrugNivolumab

    Participants in Cohort 4 will receive nivolumab and nivo800 prior to their standard of care surgery.

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Determine the safety of fluorescently labeled nivolumab (nivo800) as a molecular imaging agent.

    As defined by the number of Grade ≥ 2 AEs determined that are clinically significant and considered possibly, probably, or definitely related to nivo800. Safety data will be summarized by grade, severity, and type.

    Time frame: Within 15 days of drug administration

07

Study locations

1 of 1 sites recruiting
08

References and documents

Individual participant data

Plan to share: Undecided — We plan to post the results of this study and may share data upon request and proper agreements with other institutions.

No publications or documents are linked to this record.

09

Updates

1 registry update since Sep 25, 2026
Minor edits
Nothing that changes what the study is or who can join. Edited: date precision
1 update, last Oct 16, 2026
Show all 1 update
  1. Oct 16, 2026
    Minor edits only
    + 1 other change: date precision

From the registry record's own update history. This site started tracking changes on Sep 25, 2026; for anything earlier, see the record history on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT07460765
Responsible party
Eben Rosenthal (Professor and Chair, Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center) — Principal investigator
First posted
Mar 10, 2026
Start date
Jul 3, 2026
Primary completion
Apr 2030 (estimated)
Completion
Apr 2031 (estimated)
Last update
Oct 16, 2026

Study contacts

Makenna Brown
Contact
makenna.l.brown@vumc.org
(615)421-4370
Nicole Jones
Contact
nicole.l.jones@vumc.org
615-936-2807
Eben Rosenthal, MD
principal investigator · Vanderbilt University/Ingram Cancer Center

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
Yes
FDA-regulated drug
Yes
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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