A Phase 2 interventional study of Finotonlimab and Paclitaxel in SMARCB1-Deficient Sinonasal Carcinoma, sponsored by Eye & ENT Hospital of Fudan University. Recruiting at 1 site in China. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 75 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-11-10.
Sponsored by Eye & ENT Hospital of Fudan University · Phase 2, Interventional, and Treatment
This is a prospective, multicenter, single-arm phase 2 study in adults with locally advanced (T3/T4) INI-1 (SMARCB1)-deficient sinonasal carcinoma, a very rare and aggressive cancer of the nasal cavity and sinuses. This cancer often invades the skull base, eyes, nerves, and surrounding critical structures, making surgery difficult and potentially disabling. Current standard treatment is usually surgery followed by radiotherapy, but complete removal is often difficult and recurrence is common. Standard chemotherapy before surgery has shown limited tumor shrinkage, so better pre-surgical treatment is urgently needed.
The purpose of this study is to find out whether giving an immunotherapy drug, finotonlimab, together with standard chemotherapy (paclitaxel plus cisplatin, the "TP" regimen) before surgery can shrink the tumor and improve treatment results. Finotonlimab is a PD-1 inhibitor that may help the immune system attack the cancer, and it is being given together with chemotherapy because the two treatments may work better in combination. All participants will receive 2 cycles of this combined treatment (each cycle is 21 days), followed by imaging tests to measure tumor response. If the tumor is considered removable, participants will then undergo surgery and, after recovery, standard postoperative radiotherapy.
The main question this study is trying to answer is: how many participants experience significant tumor shrinkage (objective response, defined as complete or partial response) after 2 cycles of neoadjuvant finotonlimab plus TP chemotherapy, as assessed by blinded independent imaging review using RECIST v1.1. The study will also look at safety, the rate of complete surgical removal (R0 resection), pathological response, disease-free and overall survival, quality of life, and whether important organs such as the eye can be preserved. About 20 participants will be enrolled across multiple centers. This study is expected to provide the first prospective evidence for this combination in this rare cancer and may help establish a new treatment option before surgery.
This phase 2 study is designed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of neoadjuvant finotonlimab combined with TP chemotherapy in patients with locally advanced INI-1 (SMARCB1)-deficient sinonasal carcinoma. INI-1 deficiency defines a rare, aggressive subtype of sinonasal carcinoma with a high propensity for skull base invasion and limited response to conventional induction chemotherapy. The study hypothesis is that adding PD-1 blockade to standard TP chemotherapy will increase the preoperative objective response rate, facilitate tumor downstaging, improve R0 resection, and potentially reduce surgical morbidity while preserving organ function.
Approximately 20 eligible participants will be enrolled across multiple centers. All participants will receive 2 cycles of neoadjuvant therapy every 21 days: finotonlimab 200 mg intravenously on day 1, followed by paclitaxel 135-175 mg/m² on day 1 and cisplatin 70-75 mg/m² on days 1-3, with standard premedication, hydration, and antiemetic support. After 2 cycles, tumor response will be assessed by contrast-enhanced MRI of the skull base and chest CT, with independent blinded central review using RECIST v1.1. Participants with complete response, partial response, or stable disease will proceed to definitive surgery aiming for R0 resection, followed by postoperative intensity-modulated radiotherapy (60-66 Gy in 30-33 fractions) after adequate wound healing. Participants with progressive disease will discontinue the study regimen and receive salvage therapy as determined by the multidisciplinary team.
The primary endpoint is objective response rate after 2 cycles of neoadjuvant therapy, assessed by blinded independent central review. Secondary assessments include disease control rate, R0 resection rate, major pathological response, pathological complete response, disease-free survival, overall survival, safety and tolerability according to CTCAE v5.0, surgery- and radiotherapy-related complications, quality of life using EORTC QLQ-C30 and QLQ-H\&N35, and organ preservation rate. Exploratory analyses will evaluate the association of PD-L1 CPS, Ki-67, TP53 mutation status, and serial circulating tumor DNA dynamics with treatment response and recurrence risk, and will explore baseline clinical features such as T stage and cranial nerve involvement as potential predictors of benefit.
This study is expected to provide the first prospective multicenter evidence for neoadjuvant PD-1 blockade combined with TP chemotherapy in this ultra-rare sinonasal malignancy. If positive, the results may support a new preoperative treatment paradigm aimed at improving resectability and functional outcomes, and will inform future larger studies.
Eye & ENT Hospital of Fudan University is the lead sponsor of 126 studies on the registry; 70 are open to participants now.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
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.
Exclusion Criteria:
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.
Cancer that has spread from where it began to other parts of the body. “Metastatic” cancer is cancer that has spread this way.
Neoadjuvant treatment is given before the main treatment (usually surgery), often to shrink a tumour. Adjuvant treatment is given after it, to lower the chance of the cancer coming back.
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.
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.
The number of neutrophils, white blood cells that help fight infection, in a given amount of blood. Too few raises the risk of infection.
It is a count, not a percentage of the white cells. Limits are written in units that mean the same: ≥ 1.5 × 10⁹/L is ≥ 1,500 per mm³ (µL). Each lab has its own reference range.
Blood cells that help blood clot. Too few raises the risk of bleeding and bruising. A usual adult range is about 150–400 × 10⁹/L (150,000–400,000 per µL); each lab has its own reference range.
The protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen. A low level is anaemia, which can cause tiredness and breathlessness. Measured in g/dL or g/L (9 g/dL is 90 g/L).
Two enzymes measured in a routine blood test of the liver. Higher levels can mean the liver is under strain or damaged. SGPT and SGOT are older names for ALT and AST.
Criteria usually give a limit as a multiple of the upper limit of normal (ULN), often higher when cancer has spread to the liver.
The top of the normal range for a blood test, as set by the laboratory that runs it. Each lab prints its own range next to your result.
“≤ 2.5 × ULN” means the result can be up to two and a half times that top value.
A yellow substance made when red blood cells are broken down, which the liver clears. A high level can mean a problem with the liver or the bile ducts.
Criteria often allow more for people with Gilbert’s syndrome, a harmless inherited condition that raises bilirubin.
How quickly the kidneys clear creatinine, a waste product, from the blood. A study may estimate it from a blood test with age, weight and sex (often by the Cockcroft–Gault formula), or measure it using blood and urine collected over a set time. Given in mL/min; higher is better.
The share of blood the heart’s main pumping chamber (the left ventricle) pushes out with each beat, measured by an echocardiogram (heart ultrasound) or a MUGA scan. About 50–70% is normal.
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.
PD-1, PD-L1 and CTLA-4 are proteins that act as brakes on the immune system. Checkpoint inhibitors, such as pembrolizumab or nivolumab, block them so the immune system can attack a cancer.
PD-L1 can also be measured in a tumour sample. Some scores count stained tumour cells only (TPS); others also count certain immune cells (CPS). The study names the score and the minimum it uses.
The other ingredients in a medicine besides the active drug, such as fillers, colours or preservatives.
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.
Malignancy means cancer. Criteria about another or earlier malignancy ask whether you have had a different cancer, usually within a set number of years.
Some are commonly allowed, such as treated skin cancers other than melanoma and early cancers removed completely — check the exceptions this study lists.
Able to become pregnant: from the first period until menopause, unless permanently unable to through surgery (removal of the womb, or of both ovaries or both fallopian tubes).
Criteria for people of childbearing potential usually ask for a negative pregnancy test and for contraception during the study and for a time after it.
Ways of preventing pregnancy. “Highly effective” methods fail less than 1% of the time a year when used correctly — for example an IUD or an implant.
Criteria usually say which methods count and how long to keep using them after the last dose, sometimes for male participants too. Some studies accept a partner’s vasectomy if it was confirmed successful and that person is the participant’s only sexual partner.
Metastases
Cancer that has spread from where it began to other parts of the body. “Metastatic” cancer is cancer that has spread this way.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Adjuvant and neoadjuvant
Neoadjuvant treatment is given before the main treatment (usually surgery), often to shrink a tumour. Adjuvant treatment is given after it, to lower the chance of the cancer coming back.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
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.
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.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Absolute neutrophil count (ANC)
The number of neutrophils, white blood cells that help fight infection, in a given amount of blood. Too few raises the risk of infection.
It is a count, not a percentage of the white cells. Limits are written in units that mean the same: ≥ 1.5 × 10⁹/L is ≥ 1,500 per mm³ (µL). Each lab has its own reference range.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Platelets
Blood cells that help blood clot. Too few raises the risk of bleeding and bruising. A usual adult range is about 150–400 × 10⁹/L (150,000–400,000 per µL); each lab has its own reference range.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Hemoglobin (Hb)
The protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen. A low level is anaemia, which can cause tiredness and breathlessness. Measured in g/dL or g/L (9 g/dL is 90 g/L).
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
ALT and AST (liver enzymes)
Two enzymes measured in a routine blood test of the liver. Higher levels can mean the liver is under strain or damaged. SGPT and SGOT are older names for ALT and AST.
Criteria usually give a limit as a multiple of the upper limit of normal (ULN), often higher when cancer has spread to the liver.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
ULN (upper limit of normal)
The top of the normal range for a blood test, as set by the laboratory that runs it. Each lab prints its own range next to your result.
“≤ 2.5 × ULN” means the result can be up to two and a half times that top value.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Bilirubin
A yellow substance made when red blood cells are broken down, which the liver clears. A high level can mean a problem with the liver or the bile ducts.
Criteria often allow more for people with Gilbert’s syndrome, a harmless inherited condition that raises bilirubin.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Creatinine clearance (CrCl)
How quickly the kidneys clear creatinine, a waste product, from the blood. A study may estimate it from a blood test with age, weight and sex (often by the Cockcroft–Gault formula), or measure it using blood and urine collected over a set time. Given in mL/min; higher is better.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
LVEF (left ventricular ejection fraction)
The share of blood the heart’s main pumping chamber (the left ventricle) pushes out with each beat, measured by an echocardiogram (heart ultrasound) or a MUGA scan. About 50–70% is normal.
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.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
PD-1, PD-L1 and checkpoint inhibitors
PD-1, PD-L1 and CTLA-4 are proteins that act as brakes on the immune system. Checkpoint inhibitors, such as pembrolizumab or nivolumab, block them so the immune system can attack a cancer.
PD-L1 can also be measured in a tumour sample. Some scores count stained tumour cells only (TPS); others also count certain immune cells (CPS). The study names the score and the minimum it uses.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Excipients
The other ingredients in a medicine besides the active drug, such as fillers, colours or preservatives.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
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.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Cancer (malignancy)
Malignancy means cancer. Criteria about another or earlier malignancy ask whether you have had a different cancer, usually within a set number of years.
Some are commonly allowed, such as treated skin cancers other than melanoma and early cancers removed completely — check the exceptions this study lists.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Childbearing potential
Able to become pregnant: from the first period until menopause, unless permanently unable to through surgery (removal of the womb, or of both ovaries or both fallopian tubes).
Criteria for people of childbearing potential usually ask for a negative pregnancy test and for contraception during the study and for a time after it.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Contraception
Ways of preventing pregnancy. “Highly effective” methods fail less than 1% of the time a year when used correctly — for example an IUD or an implant.
Criteria usually say which methods count and how long to keep using them after the last dose, sometimes for male participants too. Some studies accept a partner’s vasectomy if it was confirmed successful and that person is the participant’s only sexual partner.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
All participants are enrolled in this single experimental arm and receive the same study-specified treatment sequence. Participants first receive 2 cycles of neoadjuvant therapy, with each cycle lasting 21 days: finotonlimab 200 mg by intravenous infusion on day 1; paclitaxel 135-175 mg/m² by intravenous infusion on day 1; and cisplatin 70-75 mg/m² by intravenous infusion on days 1-3. Standard premedication, hydration, antiemetic prophylaxis, and supportive care are given according to institutional practice. After 2 cycles, tumor response is assessed by contrast-enhanced MRI of the skull base and chest CT with blinded independent central review using RECIST v1.1. Participants with complete response, partial response, or stable disease then undergo definitive surgery aiming for R0 resection. Postoperative intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) of 60-66 Gy in 30-33 fractions is planned to start 4-6 weeks after surgery, once wound healing and general condition permit. Participants with
Drug: Finotonlimab · Drug: Paclitaxel · Drug: Cisplatin
Finotonlimab is an anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibody administered as part of neoadjuvant therapy. It is given intravenously at a fixed dose of 200 mg on day 1 of each 21-day cycle, for a total of 2 cycles. It is infused before paclitaxel and cisplatin on the same day. This is the experimental immunotherapy component of the study regimen.
Paclitaxel is a standard cytotoxic chemotherapy agent administered as part of the neoadjuvant TP regimen. It is given by intravenous infusion over 3 hours on day 1 of each 21-day cycle, at a dose of 135-175 mg/m², for a total of 2 cycles. Standard premedication (dexamethasone, diphenhydramine, and cimetidine or an equivalent H2 blocker) is given before infusion to prevent hypersensitivity reactions. Paclitaxel is administered after finotonlimab and before cisplatin.
Cisplatin is a standard platinum-based chemotherapy agent administered as part of the neoadjuvant TP regimen. It is given by intravenous infusion at a dose of 70-75 mg/m² on days 1-3 of each 21-day cycle, with the total dose for the cycle divided across the three days, for a total of 2 cycles. It is administered after paclitaxel on day 1. Standard hydration, diuresis, and electrolyte supplementation (potassium and magnesium) are provided. This divided-day schedule is used to reduce acute nephrotoxicity and severe emesis associated with single high-dose cisplatin.
Objective Response Rate
Objective response rate (ORR) is defined as the proportion of participants who achieve a complete response (CR) or partial response (PR) after 2 cycles of neoadjuvant finotonlimab plus TP chemotherapy. Tumor response is assessed by contrast-enhanced MRI of the skull base and chest CT, and evaluated by a blinded independent central review (BICR) according to RECIST v1.1. ORR is calculated as (CR + PR) divided by the number of participants in the full analysis set (all enrolled participants who signed informed consent and received at least 1 dose of study treatment). The 95% confidence interval will be estimated using the Clopper-Pearson exact method.
Time frame: After completion of 2 cycles of neoadjuvant therapy (each cycle is 21 days; response assessment performed approximately 3 weeks after the last dose of cycle 2)
Disease Control Rate (DCR)
DCR is defined as the proportion of participants who achieve complete response (CR), partial response (PR), or stable disease (SD) after 2 cycles of neoadjuvant finotonlimab plus TP chemotherapy, assessed by blinded independent central review (BICR) using RECIST v1.1. DCR is calculated as (CR + PR + SD) divided by the number of evaluable participants.
Time frame: Approximately 9 weeks after the first dose of neoadjuvant therapy (after 2 cycles of 21 days each), consistent with the primary ORR assessment time point.
R0 Resection Rate
R0 resection rate is defined as the proportion of participants who undergo surgery and achieve microscopically negative surgical margins (R0), as confirmed by central pathology review. The denominator is all participants who undergo definitive surgery.
Time frame: At the time of definitive surgery (after completion of 2 cycles of neoadjuvant therapy)
Disease-Free Survival (DFS)
DFS is defined as the time from the date of surgery to the date of local recurrence, distant metastasis, or death from any cause, whichever occurs first. DFS will be estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method.
Time frame: From the date of surgery until the date of first documented recurrence, metastasis, or death from any cause, assessed up to 3 years after surgery.
Overall Survival (OS)
OS is defined as the time from enrollment (or randomization, if applicable) to the date of death from any cause. Participants alive at the last follow-up will be censored at that date. OS will be estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method.
Time frame: From the date of enrollment until the date of death from any cause, assessed up to 3 years after enrollment.
Major Pathological Response (MPR) Rate
MPR is defined as the proportion of participants whose surgically resected specimens contain ≤10% viable tumor cells, as assessed by central pathology review. The denominator is all participants who undergo definitive surgery and have evaluable pathological specimens.
Time frame: At the time of definitive surgery (after completion of 2 cycles of neoadjuvant therapy).
Pathological Complete Response (pCR) Rate
pCR is defined as the proportion of participants whose surgically resected specimens contain no viable tumor cells, as assessed by central pathology review. The denominator is all participants who undergo definitive surgery and have evaluable pathological specimens.
Time frame: At the time of definitive surgery (after completion of 2 cycles of neoadjuvant therapy).
Incidence and Severity of Adverse Events During Neoadjuvant Therapy
All adverse events (AEs), Grade ≥3 AEs, and serious adverse events (SAEs) occurring during neoadjuvant therapy will be recorded and graded according to CTCAE v5.0. The type, incidence, and outcome of each event will be summarized descriptively.
Time frame: From the first dose of neoadjuvant therapy until 30 days after the last dose of neoadjuvant therapy (approximately 3 months).
Incidence of Surgery- and Radiotherapy-Related Complications
The incidence of prespecified complications will be recorded, including cerebrospinal fluid leak, intracranial infection, cranial nerve injury, major hemorrhage, trismus, and radiation-induced brain injury. Complications will be documented from the surgical record and during the postoperative radiotherapy and follow-up periods
Time frame: From the date of surgery until 12 months after completion of postoperative radiotherapy.
Change in Quality of Life Scores Assessed by EORTC QLQ-C30 and QLQ-H&N35
Quality of life will be assessed using the EORTC QLQ-C30 (Version 3.0) and the head and neck module QLQ-H\&N35. Scores for functional scales, symptom scales, and the global health status/QoL scale will be collected and the change from baseline will be summarized at each prespecified time point.
Time frame: Baseline, before surgery (after neoadjuvant therapy), after surgery, and every 6 months during follow-up, assessed up to 3 years after enrollment.
Organ Preservation Rate
Organ preservation rate is defined as the proportion of participants who undergo definitive surgery without orbital exenteration or extensive craniofacial/maxillary resection. Organ preservation status will be determined from the surgical record and multidisciplinary team assessment.
Time frame: At the time of definitive surgery (after completion of 2 cycles of neoadjuvant therapy).
Plan to share: No — Individual participant data will not be shared. This is an investigator-initiated study in an ultra-rare cancer, where even limited demographic and clinical data could risk re-identification. The informed consent and ethics approval restrict use of biological samples and data to this specific research; samples will not be transferred to third parties and will be destroyed after 5 years. The study does not have infrastructure for external data access. If the sharing plan changes, this record will be updated accordingly.
Started Sep 2026 (actual). Primary completion is estimated for Dec 2028, 27 months after the start.
How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.
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 ↗
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Studies of the drug tested here: Finotonlimab
Eye & ENT Hospital of Fudan University →