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Disease

Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma

Late-stage therapeutic developmentEmerging research
MeSHNasopharyngeal Carcinoma
3
Publications
23
Clinical trials
2
Related conditions
2023
Latest publication
Latest activity
beta

Recent clinical, regulatory, research and industry developments relating to this disease.

Approval: Loqtorzi (EMA)

Regulatory2024-09-19EMA

Predictive value of immunotherapy-induced inflammation indexes: dynamic changes in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors.

Research2023-12-08Annals of medicine

Approval: Tevimbra (EMA)

Regulatory2023-09-15EMA

The immune escape mechanism of nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Research2023-07-01FASEB journal : official publication of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology

Estimating the global burden of Epstein-Barr virus-related cancers.

Research2021-10-27Journal of cancer research and clinical oncology

What's happening now

An analyst briefing on current research, clinical, regulatory and industry activity surrounding this disease.

Executive briefingUpdating summary…Momentum: Moderate
Key developments
  • 5 clinical trials expected to report results, the earliest in Q1 2027.
Upcoming Milestones
Clinical Milestones6View
Results expected 5
Recently completed 1
Activity timeline6

Therapeutic landscape

Therapies with a regulatory footing for this condition, alongside the wider set of agents co-studied with it in the literature.

Approved & established therapies
Toripalimabapproved

Approval — Loqtorzi, in combination with cisplatin and gemcitabine, is indicated for the first-line… (2024)

Tislelizumabapproved

Approval — Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) Tevimbra, in combination with platinum-containing chem… (2023)

Clinical trials

12 sponsors · 3 new · 1 completed in the last 12 months (net +3)

The current development programme across all trial phases.

Clinical programme
23
All trials
6
Active
15
Late-stage
6
Completed
Late-stage studies

Reduced-Dose Versus Conventional-Dose Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy in Locally Advanced Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma With Remission After Induction Chemotherapy and Immunotherapy: A Multicenter, Phase III Clinical Trial

Phase 3 · Recruiting · Ming-Yuan Chen

40.2Gy Versus 49.2Gy Radiotherapy in Low-Risk Target Volume for Chemosensitive Stage II Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Under Full-Course Immunotherapy: a Multicentre, Randomised, Phase 3 Trial

Phase 3 · Recruiting · Ming-Yuan Chen

Randomized Phase II and Phase III Studies of Individualized Treatment for Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Based on Biomarker Epstein Barr Virus (EBV) Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA)

Phase 2/3 · Active, not recruiting · NRG Oncology

Becotatug Vedotin Combined With Sintilimab and Chemoradiotherapy in Locoregionally Advanced Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma：A Multicenter, Randomized, Controlled, Phase 3 Trial

Phase 3 · Recruiting · First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University

A Randomized, Open-label, Multi-center, Phase III Study of MRG003 in Combination With Pucotenlimab Versus Chemotherapy in the Treatment of Patients With Recurrent or Metastatic Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma

Phase 3 · Recruiting · Shanghai Miracogen Inc.

Two Cycles VS Three Cycles Induction Chemotherapy Plus Concurrent Chemoradiotherapy in T1-4N2-3 Locally Advanced Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma

Phase 3 · Recruiting · First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University
Recruiting

Reduced-Dose Versus Conventional-Dose Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy in Locally Advanced Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma With Remission After Induction Chemotherapy and Immunotherapy: A Multicenter, Phase III Clinical Trial

Phase 3 · Recruiting · Ming-Yuan Chen

40.2Gy Versus 49.2Gy Radiotherapy in Low-Risk Target Volume for Chemosensitive Stage II Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Under Full-Course Immunotherapy: a Multicentre, Randomised, Phase 3 Trial

Phase 3 · Recruiting · Ming-Yuan Chen

Becotatug Vedotin Combined With Sintilimab and Chemoradiotherapy in Locoregionally Advanced Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma：A Multicenter, Randomized, Controlled, Phase 3 Trial

Phase 3 · Recruiting · First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University

A Randomized, Open-label, Multi-center, Phase III Study of MRG003 in Combination With Pucotenlimab Versus Chemotherapy in the Treatment of Patients With Recurrent or Metastatic Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma

Phase 3 · Recruiting · Shanghai Miracogen Inc.

Two Cycles VS Three Cycles Induction Chemotherapy Plus Concurrent Chemoradiotherapy in T1-4N2-3 Locally Advanced Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma

Phase 3 · Recruiting · First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University
Recently completed

Randomized Trial of Concurrent Cisplatin Chemoradiotherapy Plus Capecitabine Adjuvant Chemotherapy vs Concurrent Cisplatin Chemoradiotherapy Alone for Patients With Local Advanced Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma at High Risk of Distant Metastasis

Phase 3 · Completed · Sun Yat-sen University

A Multicentre, Randomized, Open-Label, Phase III Clinical Trial Of Gemcitabine And Carboplatin Followed By Epstein-Barr Virus-Specific Autologous Cytotoxic T Lymphocytes Versus Gemcitabine And Carboplatin As First Line Treatment For Advanced Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma(NPC) Patients

Phase 3 · Completed · Tessa Therapeutics

Prospective Non-inferior Clinical Trial Comparing Concurrent Chemoradiotherapy or Radiotherapy Alone in Patients With Intermediate Risk Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma in Intensity-modulated Radiotherapy Era

Phase 3 · Completed · Sun Yat-sen University

Maintenance Capecitabine Plus Best Supportive Care Versus Best Supportive Care for Metastatic Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma: a Multicenter, Randomised, Phase 3 Study.

Phase 3 · Completed · Sun Yat-sen University

Concurrent Cisplatin Chemoradiation With or Without Capecitabine as Adjuvant Chemotherapy in Local Advanced High Risk Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma: Randomized Control Clinical Trial

Phase 3 · Completed · Zhao Chong

Randomized Trial to Evaluate Therapeutic Gain by Changing Chemoradiotherapy From Concurrent-adjuvant to Induction-concurrent Sequence, and Radiotherapy From Conventional to Accelerated Fractionation for Advanced Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma

Phase 3 · Completed · Hong Kong Nasopharyngeal Cancer Study Group Limited

Regulatory timeline

Drug regulatory events matched to this condition by indication — EMA.

First approvals
2024emaApproval — Toripalimab· Loqtorzi, in combination with cisplatin and gemcitabine, is indicated for the first-line treatment of adult patients with recurrent, not amenable to surgery or radiotherapy, or metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Loqtorzi, in combination with cisplatin and paclitaxel, is indicated for the first-line treatment of adult patients with unresectable advanced, recurrent, or metastatic oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma. source ↗
2023emaApproval — Tislelizumab· Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) Tevimbra, in combination with platinum-containing chemotherapy as neoadjuvant treatment and then continued as monotherapy as adjuvant treatment, is indicated for the treatment of adult patients with resectable NSCLC at high risk of recurrence (for selection criteria, see section 5.1).Tevimbra in combination with pemetrexed and platinum containing chemotherapy is indicated for the first-line treatment of adult patients with non-squamous NSCLC  whose tumours have PD-L1 expression on ≥50% of tumour cells with no EGFR or ALK positive mutations and who have: locally advanced NSCLC and are not candidates for surgical resection or platinum-based chemoradiation, or metastatic NSCLC. Tevimbra in combination with carboplatin and either paclitaxel or nab-paclitaxel is indicated for the first-line treatment of adult patients with squamous NSCLC who have: locally advanced NSCLC and are not candidates for surgical resection or platinum-based chemoradiation, or metastatic NSCLC. Tevimbra as monotherapy is indicated for the treatment of adult patients with locally advanced or metastatic NSCLC after prior platinum-based therapy. Patients with EGFR mutant or ALK positive NSCLC should also have received targeted therapies before receiving tislelizumab. Small Cell Lung Cancer (SCLC)Tevimbra, in combination with etoposide and platinum chemotherapy, is indicated for the first-line treatment of adult patients with extensive-stage SCLC. Gastric or gastroesophageal junction (G/GEJ) adenocarcinomaTevimbra, in combination with platinum and fluoropyrimidine-based chemotherapy, is indicated for the first-line treatment of adult patients with HER-2-negative locally advanced unresectable or metastatic gastric or gastroesophageal junction (G/GEJ) adenocarcinoma whose tumours express PD L1 with a tumour area positivity (TAP) score ≥ 5% (see section 5.1).Oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC)Tevimbra, in combination with platinum-based chemotherapy, is indicated for the first-line treatment of adult patients with unresectable, locally advanced or metastatic OSCC whose tumours express PD L1 with a TAP score ≥ 5% (see section 5.1).Tevimbra as monotherapy is indicated for the treatment of adult patients with unresectable, locally advanced or metastatic OSCC after prior platinum-based chemotherapy. Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC)Tevimbra, in combination with gemcitabine and cisplatin, is indicated for the first-line treatment of adult patients with recurrent, not amenable to curative surgery or radiotherapy, or metastatic NPC. source ↗

European Medicines Agency (CC BY 4.0). Events are matched to this condition by drug indication text — approvals/updates for drugs indicated for it, not disease-specific acts.

Research activity

3 papers

Key research shaping understanding of this disease, combining the latest publications with the most influential evidence.

Publications over time
20222023
Most influential

Estimating the global burden of Epstein-Barr virus-related cancers.

Journal of cancer research and clinical oncology · 2022 · 216 cites

Predictive value of immunotherapy-induced inflammation indexes: dynamic changes in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors.

Annals of medicine · 2023 · 20 cites

The immune escape mechanism of nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

FASEB journal : official publication of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology · 2023 · 11 cites
Recent publications

Predictive value of immunotherapy-induced inflammation indexes: dynamic changes in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors.

Annals of medicine · 2023 · 20 cites

The immune escape mechanism of nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

FASEB journal : official publication of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology · 2023 · 11 cites

Estimating the global burden of Epstein-Barr virus-related cancers.

Journal of cancer research and clinical oncology · 2022 · 216 cites
Major themes4
  • Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms2
  • Carcinoma1
  • Epstein-Barr Virus Infections1
  • Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors1
Leading journals3
  • Annals of medicine1
  • FASEB journal : official publication of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology1
  • Journal of cancer research and clinical oncology1
Leading researchers8
  • Bai X1
  • Burrows SR1
  • Cao J1
  • Chen Q1
  • Doolan DL1
  • Guo Y1
  • Huang Y1
  • Li X1
Affiliations (unnormalised)6
  • Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine1
  • Centre for Molecular Therapeutics1
  • Centre for Tropical Bioinformatics and Molecular Biology1
  • Clinical Laboratory1
  • Department of Laboratory Medicine1
  • QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute1

Related conditions

2 matches

Diseases frequently studied alongside this one. Number shows shared papers.

Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms3Epstein-Barr Virus Infections2

Reference

Authoritative identity, definition & identifiers.

Defined in MeSH

A carcinoma that originates in the EPITHELIUM of the NASOPHARYNX and includes four subtypes: keratinizing squamous cell, non-keratinizing, basaloid squamous cell, and PAPILLARY ADENOCARCINOMA. It is most prevalent in Southeast Asian populations and is associated with EPSTEIN-BARR VIRUS INFECTIONS. Somatic mutations associated with this cancer have been identified in NPCR, BAP1, UBAP1, ERBB2, ERBB3, MLL2, PIK3CA, KRAS, NRAS, and ARID1A genes.

Identifiers
MeSHNasopharyngeal Carcinoma
References & data sources
  • Disease identity & definition — NLM Medical Subject Headings (MeSH), public domain
  • Clinical trials — ClinicalTrials.gov (U.S. National Library of Medicine)
  • Research activity — Europe PMC (EMBL-EBI) + OpenAlex-derived paper links
  • Related entities are derived from literature co-mention (studied together) — associative, not causal.