A Phase 2 interventional study of Sintilimab + Ipilimumab (N01) + AG and Sintilimab Combined with Albumin-bound Paclitaxel and Gemcitabine (AG) in Biliary Tract Cancers (BTC), sponsored by Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital. Active, not recruiting at 1 site in China. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 75 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-06-17.
Sponsored by Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital · Phase 2, Interventional, and Treatment
For unresectable and metastatic advanced biliary tract cancers (BTCs), gemcitabine plus cisplatin (GP regimen) has been established as the standard first-line treatment based on the findings of the ABC-02 trial. As the first large-sample phase III randomized clinical trial enrolling patients with locally advanced or metastatic biliary tract cancers, the ABC-02 study demonstrated that the GP regimen improved the efficacy of chemotherapy for biliary tract malignancies and confirmed the synergistic effect between gemcitabine and cisplatin.
Phase III trials of immunotherapy combined with chemotherapy have also yielded encouraging outcomes in patients with advanced biliary tract cancers (BTCs).
The TOPAZ-1 trial was a global, randomized, double-blind, phase III randomized controlled study evaluating durvalumab or placebo combined with gemcitabine plus cisplatin for advanced biliary tract cancer. A total of 685 patients were randomly assigned to the durvalumab plus GC group (D+GC, n=341) or the placebo plus GC group (PBO+GC, n=344). The median follow-up duration was 23.4 months (20.6-25.2) and 22.4 months (21.4-23.8) for the two groups, respectively.
Median overall survival (mOS) was significantly prolonged in the D+GC group compared with the PBO+GC group (12.9 months vs 11.3 months; HR=0.76, 95% CI: 0.64-0.91). OS hazard ratios (HRs) with corresponding 95% CIs indicated consistent clinical benefits of the D+GC regimen across all pre-specified subgroups: initially unresectable disease (HR=0.79, 95% CI: 0.65-0.95), recurrent disease (HR=0.76, 95% CI: 0.49-1.20); and by primary tumor site: intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (HR=0.78, 95% CI: 0.62-0.99), extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (HR=0.61, 95% CI: 0.41-0.91), and gallbladder cancer (HR=0.90, 95% CI: 0.64-1.25).
The 12-month, 18-month and 24-month OS rates were 54.3% vs 47.1%, 34.8% vs 24.1%, and 23.6% vs 11.5% (D+GC vs PBO+GC), respectively. The incidence of grade 3/4 treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs) was 60.9% in the D+GC group versus 63.5% in the PBO+GC group. The rate of treatment discontinuation due to any TRAE was 8.9% and 11.4% in the two groups respectively.
KEYNOTE-966 is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase III trial conducted across 175 medical centers worldwide. A total of 1069 patients were randomized to receive pembrolizumab plus gemcitabine and cisplatin (pembrolizumab group, n=533) or placebo plus gemcitabine and cisplatin (placebo group, n=536). At the final analysis, the median follow-up time was 25.6 months (IQR: 21.7-30.4).
The median OS was 12.7 months (95% CI: 11.5-13.6) in the pembrolizumab group and 10.9 months (95% CI: 9.9-11.6) in the placebo group (HR=0.83, 95% CI: 0.72-0.95; one-sided p=0.034, with a prespecified significance threshold of p=0.0200).
Among the treated population, grade 3-4 adverse events were reported in 420 of 529 patients (79%) in the pembrolizumab group and 400 of 534 patients (75%) in the placebo group. Grade 3-4 TRAEs occurred in 369 patients (70%) in the pembrolizumab group and 367 patients (69%) in the placebo group.
Deaths attributable to adverse events occurred in 31 patients (6%) in the pembrolizumab group and 49 patients (9%) in the placebo group. Among these, 8 patients (2%) in the pembrolizumab group and 3 patients (1%) in the placebo group died from TRAEs.
Although chemoimmunotherapy has become the standard first-line regimen for advanced biliary tract cancers (BTCs), substantial unmet medical needs remain in clinical practice. First, the survival benefit is modest. In the TOPAZ-1 and KEYNOTE-966 trials, the median overall survival (OS) was prolonged by merely 1.3 to 1.8 months with chemoimmunotherapy versus chemotherapy alone. The objective response rate (ORR) remains below 30%, and disease progression eventually occurs in most patients. Second, there is a lack of validated predictive biomarkers. To date, no reliable biomarkers are available to accurately identify patients most likely to benefit from chemoimmunotherapy. Consequently, some patients fail to achieve satisfactory clinical outcomes while suffering from unnecessary treatment-related toxicities. Third, a subset of patients show poor tolerance to current regimens. Cisplatin-induced adverse events such as nephrotoxicity and gastrointestinal reactions may compromise treatment adherence. Therefore, safer chemotherapy combinations and novel combination strategies are urgently required.
These limitations indicate that current chemoimmunotherapy regimens require further optimization. Novel and more effective combination treatment strategies need to be explored to maximize clinical benefits and improve patient prognosis.
484 studies on the registry are indexed under Biliary Tract Neoplasms; 187 are open to participants now.
This study's enrollment of 107 is above the median of 56 across 404 interventional studies indexed under Biliary Tract Neoplasms.
Browse Biliary Tract Neoplasms studies →Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital is the lead sponsor of 484 studies on the registry; 286 are open to participants now.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
Absolute neutrophil count (ANC) ≥ 1.5 × 10⁹/L without the use of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor within the preceding 14 days; Platelet count ≥ 100 × 10⁹/L without blood transfusion within the preceding 14 days; Hemoglobin > 9 g/dL without blood transfusion or erythropoietin administration within the preceding 14 days; Total bilirubin ≤ 1.5 × upper limit of normal (ULN); Aspartate transaminase (AST) and alanine transaminase (ALT) ≤ 2.5 × ULN. For subjects with liver metastases, AST or ALT ≤ 5 × ULN is acceptable; Serum creatinine ≤ 1.5 × ULN and creatinine clearance (calculated using the Cockcroft-Gault formula) ≥ 60 mL/min; Adequate coagulation function: International Normalized Ratio (INR) or prothrombin time (PT) ≤ 1.5 × ULN; Normal thyroid function: Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) within the normal range. Subjects with abnormal baseline TSH are also eligible if total triiodothyronine (total T3) or free triiodothyronine (FT3) and free thyroxine (FT4) are within normal limits; Cardiac biomarkers within the normal range. Isolated laboratory abnormalities deemed clinically insignificant by the investigator are permitted.
Exclusion Criteria:
Prior treatment with anti-PD-1, anti-PD-L1 or anti-PD-L2 agents, or drugs targeting other T cell co-stimulatory or co-inhibitory receptors (e.g., CTLA-4, OX-40, CD137).
Note: Physiological doses of glucocorticoids (≤ 10 mg prednisone per day or equivalent) are permitted.
Note: Prophylactic use of low-dose anticoagulants is allowed. Low-dose warfarin (≤ 1 mg/day), low-dose heparin (≤ 12,000 U/day) or low-dose aspirin (≤ 100 mg/day) for prophylaxis is permitted provided that INR ≤ 1.5.
Known hypersensitivity to the active ingredients or excipients of sintilimab, ipilimumab N01 used in this study.
Note: Subjects with hepatitis B meeting the following criteria are eligible:
Subjects with anti-HBc positive, HBsAg negative, anti-HBs negative and undetectable HBV viral load do not require prophylactic anti-HBV treatment, but shall be closely monitored for viral reactivation.
Received live attenuated vaccine within 4 weeks prior to the first dose.
Presence of any severe or uncontrolled systemic diseases, including but not limited to the following:
Sintilimab Combined with Ipilimumab (N01) plus Albumin-bound Paclitaxel and Gemcitabine (AG)
Drug: Sintilimab + Ipilimumab (N01) + AG
Sintilimab Combined with Albumin-bound Paclitaxel and Gemcitabine (AG)
Drug: Sintilimab Combined with Albumin-bound Paclitaxel and Gemcitabine (AG)
Sintilimab: 100 mg/10 mL Administration: 200 mg by intravenous infusion over 30-60 minutes, on Day 1 of every 3 weeks (Q3W D1) Ipilimumab N01: 50 mg/10 mL Administration: 3 mg/kg by intravenous infusion over 30-90 minutes, on Day 1 of every 3 weeks (Q3W D1) Gemcitabine plus Albumin-bound Paclitaxel for Injection Regimen: Gemcitabine 1000 mg/m² + Albumin-bound Paclitaxel for Injection 100 mg/m², administered intravenously on Day 1 and Day 8 of every 3 weeks (iv, Q3W D1, D8)
Sintilimab: 100 mg/10 mL Administration: 200 mg by intravenous infusion over 30-60 minutes, on Day 1 of every 3 weeks (Q3W D1) Gemcitabine plus Albumin-bound Paclitaxel for Injection Regimen: Gemcitabine 1000 mg/m² + Albumin-bound Paclitaxel for Injection 100 mg/m², administered intravenously on Day 1 and Day 8 of every 3 weeks (iv, Q3W D1, D8)
Objective Response Rate (ORR)
Proportion of patients with CR or PR assessed by RECIST v1.1 and mRECIST
Time frame: From enrollment to the end of treatment at 24 weeks
Disease Control Rate (DCR)
Proportion of patients with CR, PR or SD based on RECIST v1.1 and mRECIST
Time frame: From enrollment to the end of treatment at 24 weeks
Adverse events (AEs)
AEs will be graded per NCI-CTCAE v5.0. Evaluate overall AE rate, grade-specific AE rate, Grade ≥3 AE rate and SAE rate.
Time frame: From enrollment to the end of treatment, up to 6 months
Progression-Free Survival (PFS)
Time from treatment start to disease progression (RECIST v1.1 and mRECIST)
Time frame: Time from treatment start to disease progression, up to 12 months
Overall Survival (OS)
Time from treatment initiation to death from any cause.
Time frame: Time from treatment initiation to death from any cause, an average of 2 years
Plan to share: No
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Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital