Long-term survival in the phase 2 EC-CRT-001 study of toripalimab plus definitive chemoradiotherapy for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

In the EC-CRT-001 phase 2 study, at Sun Yat-sen University (Guangzhou, China), the combination of toripalimab (anti-PD-1) and definitive chemoradiotherapy (CRT) has shown promising efficacy in patients with locally advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Long-term outcomes of the study have now been published. With a median follow-up of 44.3 months, the 3-year overall survival rate was 44.8% with a median OS of 26.9 months. Three-year progression-free survival rate was 35.7%, with median PFS 12.2 months. Three-year locoregional failure-free survival and distant metastasis-free survival rates were 46.3% and 67.8%, respectively. Patients achieving complete response had significantly better outcomes compared with patients not achieving CR. Patients experiencing immune-related adverse events showed a higher CR rate (72% versus 39%) and better PFS (HR 0.43; p=0.027) than those withou irAEs. The authors conclude that these updated survival outcomes confirm the efficacy of toripalimab plus definitive CRT in locally advanced ESCC.