durvalumab + radiotherapy

This combination treatment regimen consists of the anti-PD-L1 monoclonal antibody durvalumab administered in conjunction with definitive radiotherapy. It is specifically being evaluated in the CITHARE trial (NCT03511118), a randomized phase II study sponsored by the Institut Claudius Regaud. Durvalumab functions as an immune checkpoint inhibitor by binding to Programmed cell death 1 ligand 1 (PD-L1), thereby preventing its interaction with PD-1 and CD80 on T cells and restoring anti-tumor immune responses. In this regimen, radiotherapy is delivered at a dose of 70 Gy over 7 weeks, while durvalumab is administered intravenously at 1500 mg every 4 weeks. The primary objective of this combination is to provide a less toxic alternative to standard cisplatin-based chemoradiotherapy for patients with HPV-positive oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma, leveraging the synergistic potential of radiation-induced immunogenicity and checkpoint blockade.

Brand names

Imfinzi

Other names

durvalumab plus radiotherapyCITHARE regimenimmunotherapy + radiotherapy-Institut Claudius Regaud-oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma