Perioperative Toripalimab and Endostatin for Stage II Melanoma: A Phase II Trial

Official title

Efficacy and Safety of Perioperative Toripalimab Combined With Recombinant Human Endostatin as Postoperative Adjuvant Therapy for Clinical Stage II Malignant Melanoma: A Multicenter, Single-Arm, Phase II Clinical Study

Overview

This is a Phase II clinical trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of perioperative toripalimab (anti-PD-1) combined with recombinant human endostatin (Endostar) as postoperative adjuvant therapy in patients with clinical stage II cutaneous or acral malignant melanoma. The study aims to answer: 1. Does this combination improve the 2-year recurrence-free survival (2y-RFS) compared to historical data? 2. Is the treatment safe and tolerable for patients? Participants will: 1. Receive 2 cycles of toripalimab before surgery (neoadjuvant therapy). 2. Undergo surgical removal of the tumor. 3. Post surgery, receive toripalimab every 2 weeks + Endostar (72-hour continuous infusion every 4 weeks) for up to 6 cycles (Endostar) or 11 cycles (toripalimab). 4. Be monitored for tumor recurrence, side effects, and survival for up to 2 years after treatment. This is a single-arm, multicenter study involving 58 patients across several hospitals in China. Results will help determine if this combination could become a new standard adjuvant therapy for stage II melanoma.

Interventions

• Drug Toripalimab combined with Endostar
  1. Neoadjuvant Phase: 2 doses of toripalimab (240 mg IV, Q2W) before surgery. 2. Surgery: Tumor resection within 2 weeks after the last neoadjuvant dose. 3. Adjuvant Phase: 1) Toripalimab: 240 mg IV every 2 weeks (up to 11 cycles); 2) Endostar: 210 mg (72-hour continuous IV infusion) every 4 weeks (up to 6 cycles).

Primary outcome measures

• 2-year recurrence-free survival rate (2-year RFS rate) [Time frame: From enrollment to the end of the 2nd year of follow-up]

Secondary outcome measures (4)

• 1-year distant metastasis-free survival rate (1-year DMFS rate) [Time frame: From enrollment to the end of the 1st year]
• Overall survival (OS) [Time frame: Through study completion, an average of 3 years]
• 1-year recurrence-free survival rate (1-year RFS rate) [Time frame: From enrollment to the end of the 1st year]
• 2-year distant metastasis-free survival rate (2-year DMFS rate) [Time frame: From enrollment to the end of the 2nd year]

Eligibility criteria

Inclusion criteria

• Age ≥ 18 years, regardless of gender;
• ECOG performance status: 0-1;
• Patients with histologically or cytologically confirmed cutaneous or acral malignant melanoma, excluding mucosal and uveal melanoma;
• Patients with BRAF, CKIT, and NRAS gene test results;
• Treatment-naïve patients who have not received prior anti-tumor therapy;
• Clinical stage II (AJCC 8th edition, 2017);
• Laboratory tests must meet the following criteria:

• Hematology: Hemoglobin (Hb) ≥90 g/L (no transfusion within 14 days); absolute neutrophil count (ANC) ≥1.5×10\^9/L; platelet count (PLT) ≥100×10\^9/L;
• Biochemistry: Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) ≤2.5×ULN; total bilirubin (TBIL) ≤1.5×ULN; serum creatinine (Cr) ≤1.5×ULN, and creatinine clearance >50 μmol/L;
• Coagulation: Activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), international normalized ratio (INR), and prothrombin time (PT) ≤1.5×ULN;
• Doppler ultrasound assessment: Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) ≥50%;
• Female patients must agree to use contraception (e.g., intrauterine device \[IUD\], oral contraceptives, or condoms) during the study and for 6 months after study completion. A negative serum or urine pregnancy test within 7 days before enrollment is required, and patients must be non-lactating. Male patients must agree to use contraception during the study and for 6 months after study completion;
• Patients must voluntarily participate in the study, sign the informed consent form, and demonstrate good compliance.

Exclusion criteria

• History of allergic reactions to biological products;
• Patients with prior or concurrent malignancies within 5 years (except cured basal cell carcinoma of skin or carcinoma in situ of cervix);
• Any active autoimmune disease or history of autoimmune disorders (including but not limited to: autoimmune hepatitis, interstitial pneumonia, enteritis, vasculitis, nephritis; asthma requiring bronchodilators for medical intervention). Exceptions include: vitiligo, psoriasis, alopecia not requiring systemic therapy, well-controlled type I diabetes, or hypothyroidism with normal thyroid function on replacement therapy;
• Requirement for immunosuppressive therapy using systemic or absorbable topical corticosteroids (equivalent to prednisone >10mg/day) within 2 weeks prior to first dose;
• Any history or evidence of bleeding diathesis regardless of severity; grade ≥3 bleeding events per CTCAE v5.0 within 4 weeks prior to first dose; or presence of unhealed wounds, fractures, active gastrointestinal ulcers, ulcerative colitis, tumors with active bleeding, or other conditions deemed by investigators to potentially cause gastrointestinal hemorrhage or perforation;
• Patients with severe and/or uncontrolled comorbidities including:

• Poorly controlled hypertension (SBP ≥150 mmHg or DBP ≥90 mmHg);
• Unstable angina, myocardial infarction, ≥grade 2 congestive heart failure, or arrhythmias requiring treatment (including QTc ≥480ms) within 6 months prior to first dose;
• Active or uncontrolled severe infections (≥grade 2 per CTCAE);
• Clinically significant liver disease including viral hepatitis (active HBV infection with HBV DNA >1×10³ copies/mL or >500 IU/mL; HCV infection with HCV RNA >1×10³ copies/mL or >100 IU/mL), decompensated liver disease, or chronic hepatitis requiring antiviral therapy;
• HIV-positive status;
• Poorly controlled diabetes (fasting glucose ≥grade 2 per CTCAE);
• Urinalysis showing proteinuria ≥++ with 24-hour urinary protein >1.0 g;
• Administration of live vaccines within 4 weeks prior to treatment or anticipated need during study;
• Other conditions deemed by investigators to potentially lead to premature study termination, including: severe comorbidities (including psychiatric disorders) requiring concomitant therapy, significant laboratory abnormalities, or social/family factors that may compromise patient safety or data/sample collection.

Criteria are shown verbatim from the registry (in English). Final eligibility is always assessed by the study center.

Healthy volunteers: No

Study design

Allocation

N/A

Model

Single group

Masking

Open label

Primary purpose

Treatment

Study locations

China · 4 centers

• Department of Musculoskeletal Oncology, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center — Shanghai
• Cancer center, Shanghai 411 hospital, China RongTong Medical Healthcare Group Co.Ltd./411 — Shanghai
• Department of Surgical Oncology, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center Minhang Branch Ho — Shanghai
• Department of Oncology, Tongren Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine — Shanghai

Identifiers

NCT: NCT06965231 · IRB2501312-12

Primary sources (government registries)

• ClinicalTrials.gov (US NIH)

View this study on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗