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Hepatocellular CarcinomaNCT02704130

TAE and MWA Combination Therapy in Early-stage Hepatocellular Carcinoma

A study testing Transarterial embolization and Microwave Ablation in people with Hepatocellular Carcinoma and Hepatoma, run by Wake Forest University Health Sciences at 1 site in United States.

Terminated

Stopped early. The study ended before it was planned to and will not resume.

Official record
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Trial summary

This is a single-center, prospective RCT to study the effectiveness of TACE and MWA combination therapy with MWA monotherapy for the treatment of early HCC. Primary outcome is 2-year intrahepatic disease-free survival. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 to 75 years
What is being tested?
Transarterial embolization and Microwave Ablation
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
8 participants
Where
1 siteUnited States
Study dates
Mar 2016to Jan 2018
Phase
Interventional
Are there results?
Yes, posted in the registrySummary in the doctors' view

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 75 years
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • Primary diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)
  • HCC classification of stage 0 (very early) or stage A (early) according to Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) staging system criteria
  • Adequate clinical condition to undergo laparoscopic or robot-assisted laparoscopic transarterial embolization (TAE) and/or microwave ablation (MWA) as treatment for HCC
  • Willing and able to give informed consent

Who cannot join

  • Radiologic (computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging) evidence of invasion into major portal/hepatic venous branches and no extrahepatic metastases
  • Evidence of residual disease at first post-MWA computed tomography examination
  • Body Mass Index (BMI) > 35
  • Previous history of hepatic resections
  • Severe renal dysfunction (creatinine clearance of <40 mL/min)
  • Pregnant or nursing women

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

United States1 site
  • Carolinas Medical Center

    Charlotte, North Carolina, 28204

Other trials in United States

About this study

Official title: Transarterial Embolization and Microwave Ablation Combination Therapy in Early-stage Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Randomized Trial

This is a single-center, prospective RCT to study the effectiveness of TACE and MWA combination therapy with MWA monotherapy for the treatment of early HCC. Primary outcome is 2-year intrahepatic disease-free survival.

Read the detailed description

This single-center, prospective randomized controlled trial (RCT) is designed to compare the outcomes and clinicopathologic results of trans arterial embolization (TAE) and microwave ablation (MWA) combination therapy with MWA monotherapy for the treatment of early (stages 0 and A) hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The primary aim of this study is to test the following hypothesis: 2-year intrahepatic disease-free survival does not differ between patients receiving the experimental therapy (MWA + TAE) and patients receiving the standard therapy (MWA alone) as treatment for early stage HCC. Secondary aims are: 1) to determine the clinical feasibility of TAE + MWA in HCC patients with a small tumor burden using patient demographics and disease characteristic data and 2) to determine the effect of TAE on radiographic tumor characteristics in this patient cohort.

The primary outcome is 2-year intrahepatic disease-free survival, which is measured from time of randomization and is defined as the absence of local or regional recurrence of HCC as determined by diagnostic imaging. Local recurrence is defined as an enhancing lesion contiguous with the ablation zone that is present on subsequent imaging but was not present on the initial post-ablation scan. Regional recurrence is defined as hepatic recurrence that is not adjacent to the ablation site.

Being tested
Transarterial embolization, Microwave Ablation
Keywords
Therapeutic Embolization, Ablation Techniques, Transarterial Embolization, TAE, Microwave Ablation, MWA
Medical subject headings
Carcinoma, Hepatocellular

What participants receive

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

  • Transarterial embolizationDevice

    Also called TAE

    In transarterial bland embolization, beads are delivered directly into the arterial vessels feeding the tumor, usually by a percutaneous coaxial catheter system guided by ultrasound or fluoroscopy through the common femoral artery.

  • Microwave AblationProcedure or surgery

    Microwave ablation is a form of thermal ablation used to treat cancer. In this procedure, electromagnetic waves in the microwave energy spectrum (300 MHz to 300 GHz) are applied to tumor tissue. The oscillation of polar molecules produces frictional heating, ultimately generating tissue necrosis within solid tumors.

Study groups in NCT02704130
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
TAE + MWA combination therapyExperimentalIn patients randomized to receive the experimental therapy, transarterial embolization (TAE) treatments will be initiated within one week of randomization. Blunt embolization will be performed with LC beads with a maximum size of 700 µm. Microwave ablation (MWA) will be performed up to one month following randomization. The LC beads will be admixed with 8-15 mL of contrast and injected into the arterial branch at a rate of 1-2 mL/min. Treatment may be discontinued if any exclusion criteria develop in the patient or at the patient's request.
Receives: Device: Transarterial embolization; Procedure: Microwave Ablation
MWA monotherapyActive comparatorMicrowave ablation (MWA) will be performed up to one month following randomization. Treatment may be discontinued if any exclusion criteria develop in the patient or at the patient's request. All operative MWAs will be performed in a laparoscopic or robot-assisted laparoscopic setting. All ablations will be guided by intraoperative ultrasound. Ablations will be performed with a 2.45-GHz generator with a 1.8-mm-diameter transcutaneous antenna.
Receives: Procedure: Microwave Ablation

What is being measured

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

  1. Intrahepatic Disease-free Survival

    Defined as the absence of local or regional recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) as determined by diagnostic imaging

    Measured: 2 years

Secondary outcomes (11)
  1. Overall Survival

    Measured: 1 year

  2. Intrahepatic Disease-free Survival - 1 Year

    Measured: 1 year

  3. Postoperative Morbidity

    Measured: 1 month

  4. Postoperative Mortality

    Measured: Assessed at 1 month and 3 months, total number up to 3 months reported

  5. Overall Survival

    Measured: 2 Years

  6. Overall Survival - 3 Years

    Measured: 3 Years

  7. Overall Survival - 5 Year

    Measured: 5 Years

  8. Intrahepatic Disease-free Survival - 2 Year

    Defined as the absence of local or regional recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) from date of treatment until 2 years after that date as determined by diagnostic imaging

    Measured: 2 Year

  9. Intrahepatic Disease-free Survival - 3 Year

    Measured: 3 Year

  10. Intrahepatic Disease-free Survival - 5 Year

    Measured: 5 Year

  11. Postoperative Morbidity

    Measured: 3 Month

Timeline

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

  1. First posted9 Mar 2016 (estimated)
  2. Study startMar 2016
  3. Primary completionJan 2018
  4. Study completionJan 2018

Why it stopped: Lack of funding

Resources

More details

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

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase N/A
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Masking
None (open label)
Enrolment
8 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT02704130
Sponsor's protocol ID
01-16-23B
Status last verified
Feb 2022
First submitted
3 Mar 2016
Last updated
22 Apr 2022
Data monitoring committee
Yes
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
Yes
Individual data sharing
No

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing Transarterial embolization and Microwave Ablation in people with Hepatocellular Carcinoma and Hepatoma, run by Wake Forest University Health Sciences at 1 site in United States.

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 4 inclusion and 6 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: stopped early, as of the sponsor's last update on 22 Apr 2022. 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 United States. 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?

Yes. Results are posted in the registry (first posted 18 Mar 2022). A summary is in the For doctors view, and the full results are on ClinicalTrials.gov.

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?

Intrahepatic Disease-free Survival (time frame: 2 years). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?
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 22 Apr 2022.

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