Figure 1.

Study design and study flow chart. (A) Treatment procedure. The previously untreated patients with stage IVB hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma received two 21-day cycles of intravenous induction chemoimmunotherapy (toripalimab 240 mg on day 1 plus cisplatin/nedaplatin 40 mg/m² on days 1–2 and nab-paclitaxel 230 mg/m² on day 1), sequential cCRT (helical tomotherapy and intravenously nab-paclitaxel 230 mg/m² on days 1, 22, and 43) plus concurrent nimotuzumab (200 mg intravenously once a week for 7 weeks), followed by immunotherapy maintenance (toripalimab 240 mg on day 1 every 3 weeks for eight cycles or until disease progression or intolerable toxicity). (B) Trial profile. cCRT, concurrent chemoradiotherapy; D, day; C, cycle; W, week.