CCRT Followed by PD-1 Inhibitor Maintenance Therapy in Locally Advanced ESCC

Concurrent Chemoradiotherapy Followed by PD-1 Inhibitor Maintenance Therapy in Locally Advanced Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma: a Randomized Phase III Trial

CCRT Followed by PD-1 Inhibitor Maintenance Therapy in Locally Advanced ESCC (NCT06964568) is a Phase 3 interventional studying Esophageal Carcinoma and Radiotherapy, sponsored by Fudan University. RECRUITING as of the most recent ClinicalTrials.gov update. Talk to your doctor before contacting the trial site.

About This Trial

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if concurrent chemoradiotherapy followed by immunotherapy as maintenance therapy works to treat locally advanced esophageal squamous cell cancer in adults.

What Stage of Research Is This?

Phase 3 trials confirm efficacy and safety in large patient groups (often 300–3,000+) and form the evidence base for an FDA approval submission. For Esophageal Carcinoma, Phase 3 studies typically randomize participants between the investigational treatment and either a placebo or current standard of care. A successful Phase 3 result is the threshold most treatments need to clear before regulatory approval.

This trial is currently recruiting participants. The sponsor has registered the study with ClinicalTrials.gov as actively enrolling, which means new applicants who meet the eligibility criteria can be considered for screening. Trial status can change between updates — confirm current recruiting status with the study contact before traveling for a screening visit.

A target enrollment of 452 participants makes this a sizable late-stage trial. Studies in this range typically have enough power to detect clinically meaningful differences from a comparator and to characterize less-common side effects.

Who May Be Eligible (Plain English)

Who May Qualify: 1. Written willing to sign a consent form 2. Aged 18 years or above 3. diagnosed by tissue sample (biopsy-confirmed) esophageal squamous cell carcinoma 4. Clinical stages T3-4N0M0 or TxN+M0 or TxNxM1 (Only for supraclavicular lymph nodes) based on the 8th UICC-TNM classification 7\. Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group(ECOG) performance status: 0-1 8. Life expectancy ≥3 months 9. your organs (liver, kidneys, etc.) are working well enough based on blood testss Absolute neutrophil counts (ANC) ≥1.5×109⁄L; Hemoglobin (Hb) ≥9g⁄dl; Platelet (Plt) ≥100×109⁄L; Total bilirubin ≤1.5 upper limit of normal (ULN); Aspartate transaminase (AST) ≤2.5 ULN; Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) ≤2.5 ULN; Creatinine ≤1.5 ULN Who Should NOT Join This Trial: 1. Esophageal perforation or hematemesis 2. Any active autoimmune conditions (where your immune system attacks your own body) or a history of autoimmune conditions (where your immune system attacks your own body) (such as the following, but not limited to: autoimmune hepatitis, interstitial pneumonia, uveitis, enteritis, pituitary inflammation, vasculitis, nephritis, hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism (effective hormone replacement therapy excepted)) and immunosuppressive agents or systemic hormonal therapy indicated within 28 days (for adverse events of chemoradiotherapy excepted). 3. Previously received or receiving PD-1 antibody therapy or other immunotherapy against PD-1/PD-L1. 4. Allergic to any of the ingredients in PD-1 inhibitors for injection. 5. Uncontrolled heart diseases or clinical symptoms, such as: (1) New York Heart Association(NYHA) class II or higher heart failure; (2) unstable angina; (3) myocardial infarction within 1 year; (4)clinically significant arrhythmia requiring clinical intervention. ...See full criteria on ClinicalTrials.gov Always talk to your doctor about whether this trial is right for you.

These are translations of the protocol\'s inclusion and exclusion criteria, simplified for patients and caregivers. The original clinical text appears below. Eligibility is ultimately confirmed by the trial site\'s screening process — this summary is a starting point for a conversation with your doctor, not a final determination.

Original Eligibility Criteria

View original clinical language

Inclusion Criteria: 1. Written informed consent 2. Aged 18 years or above 3. Histologically confirmed esophageal squamous cell carcinoma 4. Clinical stages T3-4N0M0 or TxN+M0 or TxNxM1 (Only for supraclavicular lymph nodes) based on the 8th UICC-TNM classification 7\. Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group(ECOG) performance status: 0-1 8. Life expectancy ≥3 months 9. Adequate organ functions Absolute neutrophil counts (ANC) ≥1.5×109⁄L; Hemoglobin (Hb) ≥9g⁄dl; Platelet (Plt) ≥100×109⁄L; Total bilirubin ≤1.5 upper limit of normal (ULN); Aspartate transaminase (AST) ≤2.5 ULN; Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) ≤2.5 ULN; Creatinine ≤1.5 ULN Exclusion Criteria: 1. Esophageal perforation or hematemesis 2. Any active autoimmune disease or a history of autoimmune disease (such as the following, but not limited to: autoimmune hepatitis, interstitial pneumonia, uveitis, enteritis, pituitary inflammation, vasculitis, nephritis, hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism (effective hormone replacement therapy excepted)) and immunosuppressive agents or systemic hormonal therapy indicated within 28 days (for adverse events of chemoradiotherapy excepted). 3. Previously received or receiving PD-1 antibody therapy or other immunotherapy against PD-1/PD-L1. 4. Allergic to any of the ingredients in PD-1 inhibitors for injection. 5. Uncontrolled heart diseases or clinical symptoms, such as: (1) New York Heart Association(NYHA) class II or higher heart failure; (2) unstable angina; (3) myocardial infarction within 1 year; (4)clinically significant arrhythmia requiring clinical intervention. 6. Congenital or acquired immunodeficiency (such as HIV infection); active hepatitis B (HBV-DNA≥104 copy number/ml) or hepatitis C (positive hepatitis C antibody, and HCV-RNA is higher than the detection limit of the analytical method); active tuberculosis. 7. Active infection or unexplained fever \>38.5 °C within 2 weeks before randomization (fever due to tumor excepted, according to investigator). Patients with fertility reluctant to take contraceptive measures during the trial, or female patients pregnant or breastfeeding. 8. According to the investigator, other factors that may cause termination of the study. ie, other serious diseases (including mental illness) require combined treatment, family or social factors, which may affect the safety or the collection of trial data.

Treatments Being Tested

DRUG

PD-1 inhibitor

PD-1 inhibitors will be administered intravenously, a fixed dose of 200 mg, once every 3 weeks for 1 year.

RADIATION

Radiotherapy

Radiotherapy 50.4Gy/28Fx

DRUG

TP regimen

Chemotherapy: Paclitaxel 135mg/m2 d1+cisplatin 25mg/m2 d1-3 q28d

Locations (1)

Trial sites listed on ClinicalTrials.gov for this study. Site activation status can vary — confirm with the specific site before traveling for a screening visit.

Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center

Shanghai, China

How to Talk to Your Doctor About This Trial

Bring the printable summary of this trial — including the NCT ID (NCT06964568), the sponsor (Fudan University), and the key eligibility criteria — to your next appointment. Your doctor can review the inclusion and exclusion criteria against your medical history, lab values, and current treatments to assess whether you are likely to qualify. They can also help you weigh whether trial participation makes sense alongside your existing care plan.

Useful questions to walk through together: What does the trial protocol require beyond standard care? How long is the active treatment phase, and how long is follow-up? Are there study visits at sites I can reach? Who pays for the trial-specific procedures, and who pays for standard-of-care portions? See our 25 questions to ask about clinical trials guide for a more complete checklist.

Authoritative Sources

The official record for this trial lives on ClinicalTrials.gov — the federal registry maintained by the National Library of Medicine at NIH. For background on how this trial fits into the FDA approval pathway, see the FDA drug approval process. For oncology-specific guidance for patients considering trials, the National Cancer Institute publishes patient-oriented overviews. International trial registries are aggregated by the WHO ICTRP.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the NCT06964568 clinical trial studying?

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if concurrent chemoradiotherapy followed by immunotherapy as maintenance therapy works to treat locally advanced esophageal squamous cell cancer in adults. The full protocol is registered on ClinicalTrials.gov and includes the primary outcome measures, eligibility criteria, and study endpoints.

Who can participate in NCT06964568?

Eligibility for this trial depends on the specific inclusion and exclusion criteria set by the sponsor. The plain-English summary above translates the most important criteria into accessible language; the official clinical text is preserved in the collapsible section underneath. Whether you fit any specific trial is a medical decision your doctor needs to confirm — bring the trial information to your treating physician for a full review against your medical history.

How do I contact the trial site for NCT06964568?

Contact information registered with ClinicalTrials.gov is shown in the sidebar of this page. Before reaching out, confirm with your treating physician that this trial is appropriate for your situation. The trial site will then walk you through the screening process to determine final eligibility.

Is participating in a clinical trial safe?

Clinical trials in the United States are regulated by the FDA and overseen by Institutional Review Boards (IRBs) that review the protocol for safety. Risk varies by trial — Phase 1 studies test new treatments in humans for the first time, while Phase 3 trials use treatments that have already passed earlier safety screening. The informed consent document for any specific trial details the known risks and what to expect. Discuss those risks with your physician before deciding whether to participate.

Where can I verify the data on this page?

Every detail on this page comes directly from the ClinicalTrials.gov API. Click "View on ClinicalTrials.gov" in the sidebar to see the official, unmodified record. The federal record is always authoritative; this page is a structured presentation with a plain-English eligibility translation. For background on how clinical trials are regulated, see the FDA drug approval process documentation.

How This Page Is Built

Every field on this page is pulled directly from the ClinicalTrials.gov API v2 — no estimates, no proxies. The plain-English eligibility translation is generated from the original protocol text and reviewed for fidelity to the underlying clinical criteria. The original clinical text remains visible in the collapsible section above so users and clinicians can verify the translation. Read the full methodology for the data pipeline and known limitations.

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov API v2 record for NCT06964568. Maintained by the National Library of Medicine at NIH. Public domain. Cite as: "TrialFinderData. NCT06964568. Data: ClinicalTrials.gov."

Medical disclaimer: This page is informational, not medical advice. Talk to your doctor about whether a clinical trial is right for you.

Last updated 2026-05-08 · Data from ClinicalTrials.gov.