About this study
Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a rare type of cancer that grows in the upper part of the throat behind the nose. NPC-type tumors cannot usually be totally removed by surgery.
NPC treatment usually includes surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Nivolumab is an immunotherapy that works by helping the body’s immune system (your body’s own defense system) recognize and attack cancer cells. The treatment in this clinical trial involves 3 phases or parts: chemotherapy plus nivolumab before radiation therapy, then chemotherapy plus nivolumab with radiation therapy, followed by nivolumab alone.
The treatment on this study takes about a year.
This study will help doctors understand what effects adding nivolumab to chemotherapy (2 medicines called cisplatin and gemcitabine) has on children with newly diagnosed NPC. It will also help them find out if children with NPC may be treated with less radiation therapy, and whether this decreases the side effects of therapy.
Eligibility overview
- Newly diagnosed nasopharyngeal carcinoma, stages 2–4
- 21 years old or younger
- No exercise intolerance
- No prior radiation therapy to the head or neck