The majority of head and neck cancer patients do not respond to immunotherapies, and clinical responses are often not durable. However, targeting tumors with stereotactic radiation in combination with immunotherapy while sparing draining lymphatics enhances anticancer immunity, resulting in dramatic response in HPV (Human Papilloma Virus) virus related cancers of the throat. This trial will leverage targeted tumor radiation and immunotherapy in advance of standard surgical therapy to improve the response of HPV (Human Papilloma Virus) throat cancer to radiation and immunotherapy.
Neoadjuvant Radiation and Evorpacept (ALX148) in Combination With Pembrolizumab In Patients With Previously Untreated Locally Advanced, Resectable, HPVOPC (Human Papilloma Virus Oropharynx Cancer)
This is a prospective, multi-center, open-label, one-arm, two-stage, Phase II study to evaluate the efficacy of neoadjuvant immunoradiotherapy (NIRT) in patients with stage I HPVOPC (Human Papilloma Virus Oropharynx Cancer) amenable to surgical resection, including AJCC (American Joint Committee on Cancer) VIII T1-2N1M0 HPVOPC (Human Papilloma Virus Oropharynx Cancer) and excluding patients with solitary lymph nodes less than 3 cm. A Simon's two-stage optimal design is used for this study. We will test the hypothesis that neoadjuvant stereotactic tumor targeting radiation along with CD47 inhibition (evorpacept) and PD-1 inhibition (pembrolizumab) provides pathologic response compared to current standard of care rates of locoregional control.
