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Locally Advanced Malignant Liver DiseaseNCT02164292

ALPPS: Safety, Feasibility and Efficacy at a Single Center

An observational study of Locally Advanced Malignant Liver Disease, run by Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires at 1 site in Argentina.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
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Trial summary

The possibility to achieve a curative resection in patients with liver malignancies is limited by the future liver remnant (FLR). The Associating Liver Partition and Portal vein ligation for Staged hepatectomy (ALPPS) approach has recently been introduced as a revolutionary strategy to achieve resectability by… Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 to 85 years
Conditions the study is for
Locally Advanced Malignant Liver Disease
What is being tested?
ALPPS
Type of treatment
Surgery or procedure
How many people
30 participants
Where
1 siteArgentina
Study dates
Jun 2011to Apr 2014
Phase
Observational
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 18 to 85 years
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Study population: High-Volume University Hospital population

Who may be able to join

  • Patients with marginally resectable or primarily non-resectable locally advanced liver tumors
  • Insufficient FLR either in volume or quality

Who cannot join

  • Unresectable liver metastases in the future liver remnant or unresectable extrahepatic metastases
  • Severe portal hypertension
  • High anesthesiological risk
  • Unresectable primary tumor

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

Argentina1 site
  • Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires

    Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, C1181ACH

Other trials in Argentina

About this study

Official title: Associating Liver Partition and Portal Vein Ligation for Staged Hepatectomy (ALPPS): Safety, Feasibility and Efficacy at a Single Center

The possibility to achieve a curative resection in patients with liver malignancies is limited by the future liver remnant (FLR). The Associating Liver Partition and Portal vein ligation for Staged hepatectomy (ALPPS) approach has recently been introduced as a revolutionary strategy to achieve resectability by inducing a rapid and large FLR hypertrophy. However, the possibility of achieving a short-term hypertrophy and high resectability rates has been counteracted in most published series by an increased risk of morbidity and mortality.The aim of this study was to evaluate the results with the ALPPS procedure in a single high-volume HPB center, with special emphasis in the safety and feasibility of this new 2-stage strategy. The aim of the present study was to assess the safety, feasibility and efficacy of ALPPS in a single high-volume hepatobiliary center.

Read the detailed description

Complete resection of liver malignancies remains as the best treatment to offer the possibility of long-term survival or cure. At diagnosis, many patients have locally advanced disease that often precludes a curative resection. During the past two decades, a better assessment of resectability through modern imaging techniques along with new multimodal therapies and the introduction of modern chemotherapy regimens have allowed to increase the pool of candidates for surgical treatment in patients with locally advanced disease. The current principles for safe liver resections focus mainly on the liver parenchyma that remains after resection rather than the liver resected. In fact, one of the main conditioning factors of posthepatectomy liver failure (PHLF) is the amount and quality of future liver remnant (FLR). The induction of hypertrophy of healthy parenchyma using either portal vein embolization (PVE) or ligation (PVL), in the setting of 1-stage or 2-stage liver resections, is nowadays considered the standard of care for patients with locally advanced liver tumors and small FLR.2,5-8 However, the need for long intervals between interventions (6-12 weeks), results in resectability rates that rarely exceed 60-80%.

In 2012, Schnitbauer et al introduced a novel 2-stage technique that allowed tumor resection in 25 patients from 5 German centers with marginally resectable or primarily nonresectable disease by means of a rapid and large FLR hypertrophy. This technique was later popularized with the acronym ALPPS for "Associating Liver Partition and Portal Vein Ligation for Staged Hepatectomy". The promising preliminary results obtained with this new surgical proposal in terms of hypertrophy and the possibility of challenging the previous methods generated a pronounced reaction in the surgical community world-wide that has rarely been seen in the history of hepato-pancreato-biliary (HPB) surgery. However, the possibility of achieving a short-term hypertrophy and high resectability rates has been counteracted in most published series by an increased risk of morbidity and mortality. The aim of this study was to evaluate the results with the ALPPS procedure in a single high-volume HPB center, with special emphasis in the safety and feasibility of this new 2-stage strategy.

Data for all patients undergoing 2-stage hepatectomies with the ALPPS approach at the HPB Surgery Section of the Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires between June 2011 and April 2014 was analyzed on an intention to treat basis. Patient demographics, clinical characteristics (body mass index, anesthesiological risk score, Charlson comorbidity index, preoperative chemotherapy), tumor type, surgical details, FLR hypertrophy, postoperative liver function, postoperative complications, length of hospital stay and survival were analyzed.

Regarding the surgical procedure, during the first stage a complete tumor resection (clean-up) of the FLR is performed if bilateral disease was present, either trough anatomical or atypical resections. Subsequently, the portal vein of the diseased hemi-liver (DH) is divided and either total (up to the inferior vena cava) or partial (up to the middle hepatic vein) parenchymal transection using the Cavitron Ultrasonic Surgical Aspirator (CUSA; Valley Lab, Boulder, CO, USA) is carried out. At the end of the first stage, the DH is either wrapped in a plastic bag or a plastic sheath placed between the cut surfaces. Once volumetric CT analysis demonstrated enough FLR hypertrophy and provided the patient is in good condition, the second stage is carried out the next available operative day resecting the DH. The type of liver resections performed were defined using the Brisbane 2000 nomenclature.

Being tested
ALPPS
Keywords
Liver tumor, ALPPS, Two-stage hepatectomy, Morbidity, Hypertrophy
Medical subject headings
Carcinoma, Hepatocellular, Hypertrophy

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • ALPPSProcedure or surgery

    Associating Liver Partition and Portal vein ligation for Staged hepatectomy

Study groups in NCT02164292
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
ALPPS groupPatients with small future liver remnant who are operated with the "Associating Liver Partition and Portal vein ligation for Staged hepatectomy" approach
Receives: Procedure: ALPPS

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Safety of the procedure defined as the incidence of postoperative complications and mortality

    Ocurrence of any postoperative complication or mortality considering the Dindo-Clavien classification of surgical complications

    Measured: within the first 90 days after the first stage

  2. Feasibility of the procedure defined as percentage of patients that complete both surgical stages.

    Percentage of patients that finally arrive to the 2nd stage of the ALPPS approach

    Measured: within 4 months after the first stage

Secondary outcomes (4)
  1. Efficacy of the procedure defiend as the percentage of patients who achieve a sufficient future liver remnant hypertrophy

    Achievement of sufficient short-term hypertrophy of the future liver remnant (FLR). Sufficiency was defined as a FLR >0.5% of body weight or >25% of standardized total liver volume in case of healthy liver parenchyma, or >0.8% and 40% in case of diseased parenchyma.

    Measured: within 10 days after the first stage

  2. Disease-free survival and overall survival

    Disease free survival was the time that a patient remained alive and without evidence of disease from the second stage. Overall survival was the time from the first stage to patient death.

    Measured: 1 and 2 years

  3. Risk factors for morbidity

    To identify clinical or operative risk factors of postoperative complications

    Measured: within 3 month after the first stage

  4. Risk factors for a reduced kinetic growth rate of the future liver remnant (<35 cc/day)

    To identify clinical or operative risk factors or a reduced kinetic growth rate of the future liver remnant (<35 cc/day)

    Measured: within 3 months after the first stage

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted16 Jun 2014 (estimated)
  2. Study startJun 2011
  3. Primary completionApr 2014
  4. Study completionApr 2014

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Observational
Observational model
Cohort
Time perspective
Prospective
Enrolment
30 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT02164292
Sponsor's protocol ID
1942
Status last verified
Aug 2019
First submitted
11 Jun 2014
Last updated
13 Aug 2019
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No

Publications

  • Agrawal S, Belghiti J. Oncologic resection for malignant tumors of the liver. Ann Surg. 2011 Apr;253(4):656-65. doi: 10.1097/SLA.0b013e3181fc08ca.

    PubMed 21475004
  • Clavien PA, Petrowsky H, DeOliveira ML, Graf R. Strategies for safer liver surgery and partial liver transplantation. N Engl J Med. 2007 Apr 12;356(15):1545-59. doi: 10.1056/NEJMra065156. No abstract available.

    PubMed 17429086
  • Mise Y, Sakamoto Y, Ishizawa T, Kaneko J, Aoki T, Hasegawa K, Sugawara Y, Kokudo N. A worldwide survey of the current daily practice in liver surgery. Liver Cancer. 2013 Jan;2(1):55-66. doi: 10.1159/000346225.

    PubMed 24159597
  • Schnitzbauer AA, Lang SA, Goessmann H, Nadalin S, Baumgart J, Farkas SA, Fichtner-Feigl S, Lorf T, Goralcyk A, Horbelt R, Kroemer A, Loss M, Rummele P, Scherer MN, Padberg W, Konigsrainer A, Lang H, Obed A, Schlitt HJ. Right portal vein ligation combined with in situ splitting induces rapid left lateral liver lobe hypertrophy enabling 2-staged extended right hepatic resection in small-for-size settings. Ann Surg. 2012 Mar;255(3):405-14. doi: 10.1097/SLA.0b013e31824856f5.

    PubMed 22330038
  • de Santibanes E, Clavien PA. Playing Play-Doh to prevent postoperative liver failure: the "ALPPS" approach. Ann Surg. 2012 Mar;255(3):415-7. doi: 10.1097/SLA.0b013e318248577d. No abstract available.

    PubMed 22330039
  • Shindoh J, Vauthey JN, Zimmitti G, Curley SA, Huang SY, Mahvash A, Gupta S, Wallace MJ, Aloia TA. Analysis of the efficacy of portal vein embolization for patients with extensive liver malignancy and very low future liver remnant volume, including a comparison with the associating liver partition with portal vein ligation for staged hepatectomy approach. J Am Coll Surg. 2013 Jul;217(1):126-33; discussion 133-4. doi: 10.1016/j.jamcollsurg.2013.03.004. Epub 2013 Apr 28.

    PubMed 23632095
  • Schadde E, Ardiles V, Slankamenac K, Tschuor C, Sergeant G, Amacker N, Baumgart J, Croome K, Hernandez-Alejandro R, Lang H, de Santibanes E, Clavien PA. ALPPS offers a better chance of complete resection in patients with primarily unresectable liver tumors compared with conventional-staged hepatectomies: results of a multicenter analysis. World J Surg. 2014 Jun;38(6):1510-9. doi: 10.1007/s00268-014-2513-3.

    PubMed 24748319
  • Torres OJ, Fernandes Ede S, Oliveira CV, Lima CX, Waechter FL, Moraes-Junior JM, Linhares MM, Pinto RD, Herman P, Machado MA. Associating liver partition and portal vein ligation for staged hepatectomy (ALPPS): the Brazilian experience. Arq Bras Cir Dig. 2013 Jan-Mar;26(1):40-3. doi: 10.1590/s0102-67202013000100009. English, Portuguese.

    PubMed 23702869

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

An observational study of Locally Advanced Malignant Liver Disease, run by Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires at 1 site in Argentina.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 2 inclusion and 4 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 13 Aug 2019. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in Argentina. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Safety of the procedure defined as the incidence of postoperative complications and mortality (time frame: within the first 90 days after the first stage). The study lists 2 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT02164292, which also lists 8 linked publications.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 13 Aug 2019.

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