Adding an immune-boosting drug to standard chemotherapy for advanced throat cancer

This trial is testing whether a drug called toripalimab, when combined with chemotherapy pills called capecitabine, can help prevent nasopharyngeal cancer from coming back better than chemotherapy alone. Nasopharyngeal cancer is a type of throat cancer, and this study focuses on patients whose cancer is considered high-risk — meaning it's more likely to return even after initial treatment. Half of the participants will take both toripalimab and capecitabine, and the other half will take capecitabine alone, over the course of one year.

After initial chemotherapy and radiation, some patients with aggressive nasopharyngeal cancer still face a high risk of the disease returning. Researchers believe that the medication may help the body's immune system fight any remaining cancer cells more effectively than chemotherapy alone, potentially improving long-term survival.