Unresectable Hepatocellular CarcinomaPhase 3CHEERSNCT06900543
Chinese HCC Efficacy Evaluation, Response and Safety Study of TareSphere
A Phase 3 study testing NRT6003 Injection and cTACE in people with Unresectable Hepatocellular Carcinoma, run by Chengdu New Radiomedicine Technology Co. LTD. at 19 sites in China.
Trial summary
The goal of this clinical trial is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of NRT6003 Injection compared to cTACE in patients with unresectable HCC. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and older
- Conditions the study is for
- Unresectable Hepatocellular Carcinoma
- What is being tested?
- NRT6003 Injection and cTACE
- Type of treatment
- Injection or infusion
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 108 participants
- Where
- 19 sitesChina
- Study dates
- 15 Apr 2025to Dec 2027
- Phase
- Phase 3
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
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 years and older
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- Diagnosed as hepatocellular carcinoma (CNLC Ⅰa-Ⅲa) clinically, by imaging and/or pathology based on the guideline of the National Health Commission of the People's Republic of China (2024).
- Evaluated by the investigator as not suitable for surgical resection/ablation/liver transplantation, or there is high risk for surgical resection, or the participant refuses surgical resection/ablation/liver transplantation.
- Child-Pugh score ≤ 7.
- Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status ≤ 1.
- Adequate organ function.
Who cannot join
- Imaging evidence or suspicion of extrahepatic metastases (including regional lymph node metastases).
- Prior antitumor treatment for primary hepatocellular carcinoma.
- Prior external radiation therapy or intra-arterial brachytherapy.
- Liver vascular evaluation results that do not meet all the requirements of the study.
Trial locations and contacts
19 sites in 1 country.
19 sites in 1 country
China19 sites
West China Hospital
Chengdu, Sichuan
The First Hospital Affiliated to the Army Medical University
Chongqing
Fujian Cancer Hospital
Fuzhou, Fujian
Mengchao Hepatobiliary Hospital of Fujian Medical University
Fuzhou, Fujian
The First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University
Fuzhou, Fujian
The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University
Guangzhou, Guangdong
The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University
Guangzhou, Guangdong
The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University
Guangzhou, Guangdong
The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine
Hangzhou
The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University
Luzhou, Sichuan
Zhongda Hospital Southeast University
Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210009
Zhongshan Hospital Fudan University
Shanghai
The First Hospital of China Medical University
Shenyang, Liaoning
Tianjin Cancer Hospital Airport Hospital
Tianjin, Tianjin Municipality
Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology
Wuhan, Hubei
Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University
Wuhan, Hubei
Xi'an International Medical Center Hospital
Xi’an, Shanxi
Henan Cancer Hospital
Zhengzhou, Henan
The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University
Zhengzhou, Henan
About this study
Official title: A Randomized, Open-label, Multicenter Study Comparing the Efficacy and Safety of NRT6003 Injection With Conventional Transarterial Chemoembolization (cTACE) in Chinese Patients With Unresectable Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC)
The goal of this clinical trial is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of NRT6003 Injection compared to cTACE in patients with unresectable HCC.
Read the detailed description
The main questions it aims to answer are:
- Does NRT6003 Injection improve tumor response rates compared to cTACE in patients with unresectable HCC?
- What adverse events do participants experience when receiving NRT6003 Injection compared to cTACE?
Investigators will compare NRT6003 Injection to cTACE to determine:
- Whether NRT6003 Injection demonstrates superior efficacy in tumor control and long-term survival (e.g., objective response rate, time to progression, etc.).
- Whether NRT6003 Injection has a comparable or improved safety profile vs. cTACE (e.g., incidence of adverse events, etc.).
Participants will:
- Receive either NRT6003 Injection or cTACE as per randomized assignment.
- Undergo scheduled follow-up visits for imaging assessments (e.g., MRI or CT scans, etc.) and safety evaluations.
- Provide blood samples for biomarker analysis.
- Report any symptoms or medical events through a patient diary and during clinic visits.
- Conditions
- Unresectable Hepatocellular Carcinoma
- Being tested
- NRT6003 Injection, cTACE
- Keywords
- Selective internal radiation therapy, Yttrium-90, Transarterial Radioembolization, Conventional Transarterial Chemoembolization
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
NRT6003 InjectionDrug
Also called Yttrium-90 carbon microspheres
Patients will be administered NRT6003 Injection via Intra-arterial infusion, and subsequently they will be assessed by PET/CT imaging within 24 hours for its distribution in the chest and upper abdomen, including extrahepatic shunts, intrahepatic distribution, and target lesion distribution as expected.
cTACEDrug
Also called transarterial chemoembolization
Patients will receive cTACE treatment. And the investigators will select one or more chemotherapy drugs in combination with embolic materials for administration, based on the specific condition of the patient.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| NRT6003 Injection | Experimental | Selective internal radiation therapy (SIRT) with TareSphere Receives: Drug: NRT6003 Injection |
| cTACE | Active comparator | Transarterial chemoembolization Receives: Drug: cTACE |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Time to Progression (TTP)
Evaluated by the Blinded Independent Review Committee (BIRC) in accordance with the mRECIST criteria
Measured: Through study completion, at least 18 months
Secondary outcomes (11)
Objective Response Rate (ORR)
Evaluated by the Blinded Independent Review Committee (BIRC) in accordance with the mRECIST criteria
Measured: Through study completion, at least 18 months
Duration of Response (DOR)
Evaluated by the Blinded Independent Review Committee (BIRC) in accordance with the mRECIST criteria
Measured: Through study completion, at least 18 months
Localized Time to Progression (localized TTP)
Evaluated by the Blinded Independent Review Committee (BIRC) in accordance with the mRECIST criteria
Measured: Through study completion, at least 18 months
Time to Progression
Evaluated by the investigator in accordance with the mRECIST criteria
Measured: Through study completion, at least 18 months
Localized Time to Progression
Evaluated by the investigator in accordance with the mRECIST criteria
Measured: Through study completion, at least 18 months
Objective Response Rate
Evaluated by the investigator in accordance with the mRECIST criteria
Measured: Through study completion, at least 18 months
Duration of Response
Evaluated by the investigator in accordance with the mRECIST criteria
Measured: Through study completion, at least 18 months
Surgery Rate
Resection rate of liver target lesions
Measured: From the administration to study completion, at least 18 months
Overall Survival (OS)
Based on survival follow-up information
Measured: From the administration to study completion, at least 18 months
Changes in Tumor Biomarkers
The variation of alpha fetoprotein (AFP) levels
Measured: From the administration to study completion, at least 18 months
Incidence and severity of adverse events (AE) and severe adverse events (SAE)
In accordance with NCI-CTCAE 5.0
Measured: Throughout the study, at least 18 months
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted28 Mar 2025
- Study start15 Apr 2025
- Primary completionOct 2027 (estimated)
- Study completionDec 2027 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Unresectable Hepatocellular CarcinomaStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
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 3
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 108 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Chengdu New Radiomedicine Technology Co. LTD.
- Sponsor type
- Industry (pharma, biotech, devices)
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
- Investigators
- Gaojun Teng, Principal investigator, Zhongda Hospital
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06900543
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- NRT6003-HCC-2024
- Other IDs
- CTR20250792
- Acronym
- CHEERS
- Status last verified
- Jun 2026
- First submitted
- 17 Mar 2025
- Last updated
- 9 Jun 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 9 Jun 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- A Randomized, Open-label, Multicenter Study Comparing the Efficacy and Safety of NRT6003 Injection With Conventional Transarterial Chemoembolization (cTACE) in Chinese Patients With Unresectable Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC)
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06900543
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- CHEERS / NRT6003-HCC-2024
- Conditions
- Unresectable Hepatocellular Carcinoma
- Keywords
- Selective internal radiation therapy, Yttrium-90, Transarterial Radioembolization, Conventional Transarterial Chemoembolization
- Phase
- Phase 3
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Active, not recruiting
- Enrolment
- 108 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- Chengdu New Radiomedicine Technology Co. LTD.Industry (pharma, biotech, devices)
- Study start
- 15 Apr 2025 (actual)
- Primary completion
- Oct 2027 (estimated)
- Study completion
- Dec 2027 (estimated)
- First posted
- 28 Mar 2025 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
The goal of this clinical trial is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of NRT6003 Injection compared to cTACE in patients with unresectable HCC.
Detailed description
The main questions it aims to answer are:
- Does NRT6003 Injection improve tumor response rates compared to cTACE in patients with unresectable HCC?
- What adverse events do participants experience when receiving NRT6003 Injection compared to cTACE?
Investigators will compare NRT6003 Injection to cTACE to determine:
- Whether NRT6003 Injection demonstrates superior efficacy in tumor control and long-term survival (e.g., objective response rate, time to progression, etc.).
- Whether NRT6003 Injection has a comparable or improved safety profile vs. cTACE (e.g., incidence of adverse events, etc.).
Participants will:
- Receive either NRT6003 Injection or cTACE as per randomized assignment.
- Undergo scheduled follow-up visits for imaging assessments (e.g., MRI or CT scans, etc.) and safety evaluations.
- Provide blood samples for biomarker analysis.
- Report any symptoms or medical events through a patient diary and during clinic visits.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| NRT6003 Injection | Experimental | Drug: NRT6003 InjectionSelective internal radiation therapy (SIRT) with TareSphere |
| cTACE | Active comparator | Drug: cTACETransarterial chemoembolization |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (5 listed)
- Diagnosed as hepatocellular carcinoma (CNLC Ⅰa-Ⅲa) clinically, by imaging and/or pathology based on the guideline of the National Health Commission of the People's Republic of China (2024).
- Evaluated by the investigator as not suitable for surgical resection/ablation/liver transplantation, or there is high risk for surgical resection, or the participant refuses surgical resection/ablation/liver transplantation.
- Child-Pugh score ≤ 7.
- Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status ≤ 1.
- Adequate organ function.
Key exclusion criteria (4 listed)
- Imaging evidence or suspicion of extrahepatic metastases (including regional lymph node metastases).
- Prior antitumor treatment for primary hepatocellular carcinoma.
- Prior external radiation therapy or intra-arterial brachytherapy.
- Liver vascular evaluation results that do not meet all the requirements of the study.
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| NRT6003 InjectionAlso: Yttrium-90 carbon microspheresPatients will be administered NRT6003 Injection via Intra-arterial infusion, and subsequently they will be assessed by PET/CT imaging within 24 hours for its distribution in the chest and upper abdomen, including extrahepatic shunts, intrahepatic distribution, and target lesion distribution as expected. | Drug | NRT6003 Injection |
| cTACEAlso: transarterial chemoembolizationPatients will receive cTACE treatment. And the investigators will select one or more chemotherapy drugs in combination with embolic materials for administration, based on the specific condition of the patient. | Drug | cTACE |
Primary outcome
Time to Progression (TTP)
Time frame: Through study completion, at least 18 months
Evaluated by the Blinded Independent Review Committee (BIRC) in accordance with the mRECIST criteria
11 secondary outcomes
Objective Response Rate (ORR)
Time frame: Through study completion, at least 18 months
Duration of Response (DOR)
Time frame: Through study completion, at least 18 months
Localized Time to Progression (localized TTP)
Time frame: Through study completion, at least 18 months
Time to Progression
Time frame: Through study completion, at least 18 months
Localized Time to Progression
Time frame: Through study completion, at least 18 months
Objective Response Rate
Time frame: Through study completion, at least 18 months
Duration of Response
Time frame: Through study completion, at least 18 months
Surgery Rate
Time frame: From the administration to study completion, at least 18 months
Overall Survival (OS)
Time frame: From the administration to study completion, at least 18 months
Changes in Tumor Biomarkers
Time frame: From the administration to study completion, at least 18 months
Incidence and severity of adverse events (AE) and severe adverse events (SAE)
Time frame: Throughout the study, at least 18 months
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 9 Jun 2026.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
Gaojun Teng principal investigator
Zhongda Hospital
19 sites in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A Phase 3 study testing NRT6003 Injection and cTACE in people with Unresectable Hepatocellular Carcinoma, run by Chengdu New Radiomedicine Technology Co. LTD. at 19 sites in China.
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 5 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: under way, not looking for participants, as of the sponsor's last update on 9 Jun 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 19 sites in China. 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.
What does this phase mean?
Phase 3 studies compare the treatment with the current standard treatment or a placebo in a large group, to confirm how well it works and watch for side effects.
Not every study follows the same path, and some studies (observational studies, device studies) have no phase.
Are results available for this study?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
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?
Time to Progression (TTP) (time frame: Through study completion, at least 18 months). 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 9 Jun 2026.