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A phase 1/2 trial found that combining surufatinib, serplulimab, and chemotherapy (cisplatin/etoposide) delivered a nearly 70% response rate in patients with advanced extrapulmonary neuroendocrine carcinoma (NEC) — a rare and aggressive cancer. The regimen also showed a disease control rate of over 95% and a median progression-free survival of 9.4 months. Researchers say enrollment is still ongoing and longer-term survival data are still to come.
A new triple-drug combination is showing real promise for patients with advanced extrapulmonary neuroendocrine carcinoma (NEC), a rare and aggressive cancer that originates outside the lungs. Updated results from a phase 1/2 trial (NCT05747729), presented at the 2026 ESMO Congress, show that surufatinib — an oral multi-kinase inhibitor — paired with the anti-PD-1 immunotherapy serplulimab and standard cisplatin/etoposide chemotherapy produced strong early efficacy signals in previously untreated patients.
The regimen works on multiple fronts: surufatinib blocks tumor blood vessel growth and modulates the immune environment, while serplulimab reinvigorates the immune system's ability to fight cancer cells. Together with chemotherapy, the combination targets the disease from several angles simultaneously.
By the Numbers
Why it matters: Extrapulmonary NEC is a difficult-to-treat cancer with limited first-line options. This combination's high response and disease control rates offer a potentially meaningful new treatment avenue, though mature survival data are still needed to confirm long-term benefit.
