Evaluation of the Effect of Cordycepin on CD8+ Lymphocytopenia in Patients With Solid Tumors

Cordycepin: The PRaG-1 cordycepin tablets used in this clinical study were produced by Shengmingyuan Company, which is affiliated with the National Bioprocess Engineering Research Center at Nanjing Tech University. The tablets are oral formulations containing 200 mg of cordycepin per tablet and have obtained national food production approval. The production license number is: SC11332019200201. This study is a multicenter, prospective, placebo-controlled, two-stage sequential design, randomized withdrawal trial. Patients with CD8+ lymphocytopenia who have been tumor-free for more than six months following the completion of radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy were screened. All patients first received open-label PRaG-1 at a dose of one tablet in the morning and one tablet in the evening for 14 days. Patients whose CD8+ lymphocytes increased by more than 25% were defined as treatment responders and entered the randomized withdrawal phase. The study population was enrolled in two stages into the open-label phase and then randomized accordingly. The alpha level for the two-stage testing was allocated using the Pocock method (both stages at 0.029). In the first stage, 80 subjects were enrolled in the open-label phase, and 48 of them entered the withdrawal trial. If the first stage met the superiority hypothesis, the trial would terminate; otherwise, it would proceed to the second stage. In the second stage, 47 subjects were enrolled in the open-label phase, and 28 of them entered the withdrawal trial. Data from both stages were combined for the final superiority test. Centralized randomization was used in both stages, with patients assigned in a 1:1 ratio to continue receiving PRaG-1 or to receive a placebo at one tablet in the morning and one tablet in the evening for 14 days. Peripheral blood lymphocyte subpopulations were measured on the day before treatment (baseline), and on Days 7, 14, 21, and 28 of the treatment period. The primary endpoint was the proportion of patients whose CD8+ lymphocytes decreased by more than 25% from baseline after the withdrawal period. Secondary endpoints included lymphocyte dynamics during the entire treatment period and quality of life scores. Safety endpoints included adverse events occurring during treatment and within four weeks after treatment, which were graded according to the CTCAE 5.0 criteria.