Evaluating the Efficacy of Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Treatment to Enhance the Sensitivity of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor in Patients With Advanced Ovarian Cancer: A Single-arm Study

Trial statusNot yet recruiting
Trial phasePhase 2
Trial typeInterventional
Biological sexFemale
Age18-70
SponsorJing Li

About this trial

Background:

Advanced ovarian cancer is a highly dangerous disease, and many patients lose their lives due to limited treatment effectiveness. Previous studies have shown that current immunotherapy (e.g., PD-1 inhibitors) has poor results in ovarian cancer. The research team discovered that adding "heated abdominal chemotherapy" (called HIPEC, which uses a heated drug solution to wash the abdomen) to standard chemotherapy helps patients better control tumors. Recent lab studies also found that HIPEC not only reduces "harmful cells" around tumors that block drug effectiveness but also makes immunotherapy drugs work better. Animal experiments further confirmed that combining HIPEC with immunotherapy improves outcomes. Therefore, the investigators aim to test a key question: Can HIPEC help immunotherapy drugs work more effectively in humans?

Study Details:

The study will conduct a small two-phase trial, planning to enroll 30 patients with advanced ovarian cancer (Stage IIIc-IVA). All participants will receive standard chemotherapy (paclitaxel + platinum drugs) combined with HIPEC and an immunotherapy drug (tislelizumab, a PD-1 inhibitor). The main goal is to check whether tumors are completely removed after surgery. Investigators will also track how long tumors stay under control, overall survival time, treatment safety, and use blood and tumor tissue tests to find biomarkers that predict treatment response.

Why This Matters:

The study hopes to identify a safe method to enhance immunotherapy effectiveness and offer improved outcomes for advanced ovarian cancer patients.

Eligibility criteria

This trial does not accept healthy volunteers

Qualifiers

Diagnosed with FIGO stage IIIC-IVA high-grade serous ovarian adenocarcinoma (histologically confirmed).

Aged 18-70 years.

Life expectancy ≥12 months.

CT Suidan score ≥7 and Fagotti score ≥8 (assessed by two independent gynecologic oncologists via laparoscopic evaluation).

Disqualifiers

Partial or complete bowel obstruction.

Intestinal fistula of any grade.

Hydronephrosis unrelieved by ureteral stenting.

History of organ transplantation.

Trial design

Design model

Single group

Treatments tested in this trial

  • ICI-HIPET

    Drug

    Patients received the following interventions: On Day 0, intravenous administration of tislelizumab (an anti-PD-1 immune checkpoint inhibitor) was initiated within 3 hours post-HIPEC. Tumor tissue samples were collected before HIPEC, at 30 minutes, 60 minutes, and 90 minutes (end of HIPEC). Serum samples were collected pre- and post-HIPEC. On Day 1, additional serum samples were collected 24 hours after HIPEC-ICI completion. From Days 2-3, patients underwent paclitaxel + carboplatin chemotherapy, with serum sampling repeated at 48 hours post-HIPEC-ICI. On Days 21 and 42, the second and third cycles of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (tislelizumab + paclitaxel + carboplatin) were administered intravenously.

Treatment groups

30 Participants
are divided into 1 treatment group
Group A: ICI-HIPETExperimental treatment 1 intervention

Trial outcomes

Primary outcomes

1

R0 Resection Rate

R0 resection rate refers to the proportion of patients achieving complete macroscopic tumor removal (no visible residual disease) during interval debulking surgery after three cycles of neoadjuvant chemotherapy. This is determined by the surgeon's intraoperative assessment of the pelvic and abdominal cavities for any gross residual lesions.

Time frame
At interval debulking surgery (approximately 9-12 weeks after treatment initiation)

Secondary outcomes

1

Rate of progression-free survival

The 1-year, 2-year, and median progression-free survival (PFS) rates of patients were calculated.

Time frame
From day 1 of treatment until progression/death, through study completion (up to 24months)
2

Rate of overall survival

The 1-year, 2-year overall survival (OS) rates and median OS of patients were calculated.

Time frame
From completion of first neoadjuvant therapy until death from any cause, assessed up to 24 months
3

Pathological response rate

Independently assessed by pathologists, defined as the absence of microscopic residual tumor in all specimens obtained during interval debulking surgery. Incidence of chemotherapy response score 3 (CRS3): Following three cycles of neoadjuvant therapy, patients underwent surgical debulking via laparotomy. The omental tissue was evaluated using the chemotherapy response score (CRS) system to determine the rate of CRS3 (indicating complete or near-complete pathological response).

Time frame
During pathological examination of omental tissue (within 2 weeks post-surgery)
4

Radiological Response Rate

Independently assessed by radiologists using baseline CT or MRI (prior to neoadjuvant therapy) as reference. Tumor changes were evaluated after three cycles of neoadjuvant therapy, categorized as follows: Complete Response (CR): Disappearance of all target lesions, except for nodal disease. All target nodes must shrink to normal size (short axis \<10 mm). All lesions must be assessed. Partial Response (PR): ≥30% reduction in the sum of diameters of all measurable target lesions compared to baseline. Nodal lesions are measured by short axis, while non-nodal lesions use the longest diameter. All lesions must be assessed. Progressive Disease (PD): At least a 20% increase in the sum of diameters relative to the smallest value recorded during the study (or baseline if no decrease was observed), plus an absolute increase of ≥5 mm. Appearance of new lesions also qualifies as PD. Stable Disease (SD): Neither sufficient shrinkage to qualify as PR nor sufficient increase to qualify as PD

Time frame
After 3 cycles of neoadjuvant therapy (approximately 9 weeks)

Other outcomes

1

Adverse Event (AE) Incidence

Adverse events occurring during the study were evaluated and recorded according to the National Cancer Institute Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (NCI CTCAE) Version 5.0. Data included the number of patients (incidence), type of events, and severity (graded from Grade 1 to Grade 5 based on CTCAE criteria).

Time frame
up to 24 months

Sponsors and contacts

Click on the lead sponsor to view all of their trials.

Jing Li

Lead sponsor

Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University

Sponsor institution

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