Hepato Cellular Carcinoma (HCC)CHOCNCT06990659
Outpatient Versus Inpatient Care Pathway for Intra-arterial Treatment of Primary Liver Cancer (CHOC)
A study testing Ambulatory care and Conventional inpatient care in people with Hepato Cellular Carcinoma (HCC) and Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma, run by University Hospital, Angers at 19 sites in France.
Trial summary
Randomized multicentre trial comparing two care organisations (ambulatory vs conventional inpatient) for patients undergoing transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) or radioembolization (TARE) for primary liver cancer (Hepato Cellular Carcinoma (HCC) or intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCCA)). Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and older
- Conditions the study is for
- Hepato Cellular Carcinoma (HCC), Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma
- What is being tested?
- Ambulatory care and Conventional inpatient care
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 206 participants
- Where
- 19 sitesFrance
- Study dates
- 18 Dec 2025to 17 Dec 2028
- Phase
- Interventional
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
- Age ≥ 18 years
- HCC or iCCA diagnosed according to the criteria of the European Association for the Study of the Liver (2024) or histologically proven.
- Patient with HCC or iCCA eligible for intra-arterial treatment (transarterial chemoembolization [TACE] or transarterial radioembolization [TARE]), with no prior intra-arterial treatment of the same type as the one planned in the trial:
- no prior TACE for patients included for TACE;
- no prior TARE for patients included for TARE. Prior intra-arterial treatment of the other type is allowed (prior TACE before TARE, or prior TARE before TACE). Prior non-intra-arterial treatments are allowed.
- If TACE is proposed at the multidisciplinary tumour board (RCP):
Show all 16Show fewer
- Patient Child-Pugh < B8
- Single or multiple HCC
- Absence of lobar or truncal portal obstruction
- Absence of bile duct dilatation
- If treatment by TARE proposed in RCP:
- Absence of truncal portal tumor invasion
- Uni-lobar tumor invasion (except for centrohepatic iCCA)
- Total bilirubin < 20 mg/l (or 35 µmol/L)
- Patient affiliated to or benefiting from a social security scheme
- Patient having signed an informed consent form
Who cannot join
- Technical contraindication or morphological elements of predictable technical difficulty
- Planned combined same-day therapeutic strategies at the index procedure (e.g., TACE combined with percutaneous ablation) are not allowed; sequential (non-same-day) treatments are allowed.
- Chronic renal insufficiency (Clairance < 30 ml/min)
- Known allergy to a contrast agent or chemotherapy agent
- inability to participate in ambulatory care (inability to understand and follow discharge instructions, lack of reliable telephone access, absence of a responsible accompanying adult for the first night after discharge, or inability to access urgent care in a timely manner if symptoms occur)
- Patient previously included in the study
Show all 14Show fewer
- Patient who, for psychological, social, family or geographical reasons, could not be regularly monitored, patient who, for psychological, social, family or geographical reasons, could not be followed regularly
- Concomitant disease or severe uncontrolled clinical situation
- Severe uncontrolled infection
- Pregnant, breast-feeding or parturient woman
- Person deprived of liberty by judicial or administrative decision
- Person under compulsory psychiatric care
- Person under a legal protection measure
- Person unable to give consent
Trial locations and contacts
19 sites in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
19 sites in 1 country
France19 sites, 19 recruiting
- Recruiting
University hospital of Amiens
Amiens, 80054
Thierry YZET, Dr, +33(0)32 208 7536, Yzet.Thierry@chu-amiens.fr
Eric NGUYEN-KHAC, Pr, +33(0)32 208 8851, nguyen-khac.eric@chu-amiens.fr
- Recruiting
University hospital of Angers
Angers, 49933
Christophe AUBE, Pr, +33(0)24 135 4281, chaube@chu-angers.fr
Frédéric OBERTI, Pr, +33(0)24 135 4670, FrOberti@chu-angers.fr
- Recruiting
University hospital of Besançon
Besançon, 25030
Paul CALAME, Dr, +33(0)38 166 8244, calame.paul@gmail.com
Carine RICHOU, Dr, +33(0)38 166 8020, crichou@chu-besancon.fr
- Recruiting
Hospital of Avicennes (AP-HP)
Bobigny
Olivier SUTTER, Dr, +33(0)14 895 5555, olivier.sutter@aphp.fr
Nathalie GANNE, Pr, +33(0)14 802 6280, nathalie.ganne@aphp.fr
- Recruiting
University hospital of Brest
Brest, 29609
Jean-Romain RISSON, Dr, +33(0)29 834 7476, jean-romain.risson@chu-brest.fr
Florence TANNE, Dr, +33(0)29 814 5216, florence.tanne@chu-brest.fr
- Recruiting
Hospital of Beaujon (AP-HP)
Clichy, 92110
Jules GREGORY, Dr, +33(0)14 087 5344, jules.gregory@aphp.fr
Mohamed BOUATTOUR, Dr, +33(0)14 087 5614, mohamed.Bouattour@aphp.fr
- Recruiting
Hospital of Vendée
La Roche-sur-Yon, 85925
Nadia MOUSSA, Dr, +33(0)25 144 6049, nadia.moussa@ght85.fr
Paul GIROT, Dr, +33(0)25 144 6168, paul.girot@ght85.fr
- Recruiting
University hospital of Grenoble-Alpes
La Tronche, 38700
Julien GHELFI, Dr, +33(0)47 676 7575, jghelfi@chu-grenoble.fr
Thomas DECAENS, Pr, +33(0)47 676 6739, tdecaens@chu-grenoble.fr
- Recruiting
University hospital of Marseille (AP-HM)
Marseille, 13005
Farouk TRADI, Dr, +33(0) 413 429 083, farouk.tradi@ap-hm.fr
René GEROLAMI, Pr, +33(0) 491 388 645, rene.gerolami@ap-hm.fr
- Recruiting
Saint-Joseph Hospital
Marseille, 13008
Xavier ADHOUTE, Dr, +33(0) 491 808 213, xadhoute@hopital-saint-joseph.fr
- Not yet recruiting
University hospital of Montpellier
Montpellier, 34090
Boris GUIU, Pr, +33(0)46 733 7546, b-guiu@chu-montpellier.fr
Georges-Philippe PAGEAUX, Pr, +33(0)46 733 7081, gp-pageaux@chu-montpellier.fr
- Not yet recruiting
University hospital of Nantes
Nantes, 44093
Mathieu ROSTAM, Dr, +33(0)240 083 333, mathieu.rostam@chu-nantes.fr
- Recruiting
University hospital of Nice
Nice, 06202
Patrick CHEVALLIER, Dr, +33(0)49 203 6350, chevallier.p@chu-nice.fr
Rodolphe ANTY, Pr, +33(0)49 203 5943, Anty.r@chu-nice.fr
- Recruiting
Saint-Antoine Hospital (AP-HP)
Paris, 75012
Lorenzo GARZELLI, Dr, +33(0) 642 530 068, lorenzo.garzelli@aphp.fr
Marie LEQUOY, Dr, +33(0) 149 283 398, marie.lequoy@aphp.fr
- Recruiting
Hospital of Pitié-Salpétrière (AP-HP)
Paris, 75013
Charles ROUX, Dr, +33(0)14 216 5545, charles.roux@aphp.fr
Manon ALLAIRE, Dr, +33(0)62 569 6988, manon.allaire@aphp.fr
- Recruiting
Hospital of Cochin (AP-HP)
Paris, 75014
BARAT Maxime, Dr, +33(0)15 841 2469, maxime.barat@aphp.fr
POL Stanislas, Dr, +33(0)15 841 3101, stanislas.pol@aphp.fr
- Not yet recruiting
Univesity hospital of Bordeaux
Pessac, 33607
Panteleimon PAPADOPOULOS, Dr, +33(0)55 679 5679, panteleimon.papadopoulos@chu-bordeaux.fr
Jean-Frédéric BLANC, Pr, +33(0)55 765 6439, jean-frederic.blanc@chu-bordeaux.fr
- Recruiting
University hospital of Toulouse
Toulouse, 31059
Fatima MOKRANE, Pr, +33(0) 561 322 851, mokrane.fz@chu-toulouse.fr
Jean-Marie PERON, Pr, +33(0) 561 323 414, peron.jm@chu-toulouse.fr
- Recruiting
Institut Gustave Roussy (IGR)
Villejuif, 94805
Paul BEUNON, Dr, +33(0)14 211 5428, paul.beunon@gustaveroussy.fr
Valérie BOIGE, Dr, +33(0)14 211 4289, valerie.boige@gustaveroussy.fr
About this study
Official title: CHOC - Implementation and Evaluation of an Ambulatory Care Pathway for Intra-arterial Treatment of Primary Liver Cancer: Study Protocol for a Multicentre Randomised Controlled Hybrid Type 1 Trial Implémentation et évaluation d'un Parcours de Soin Ambulatoire Pour Les Patients traités Par Voie Intra-artérielle d'un Cancer Primitif du Foie : Essai Multicentrique contrôlé randomisé
Randomized multicentre trial comparing two care organisations (ambulatory vs conventional inpatient) for patients undergoing transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) or radioembolization (TARE) for primary liver cancer (Hepato Cellular Carcinoma (HCC) or intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCCA)). Patients are followed for 7 months to assess patient satisfaction, safety and clinical outcomes. A qualitative implementation study and a medico-economic evaluation (cost analysis and 5-years budget impact analysis) are embedded to assess acceptability, adoption, feasability, and sustainability and to inform scaling.
- Being tested
- Ambulatory care, Conventional inpatient care
- Keywords
- ambulatory care, hospitalization, Hepato cellular carcinoma, Patient satisfaction, randomized trial, chemoembolization, radioembolization, Intrahepatic, Cholangiocarcinoma, Primary liver cancer
- Medical subject headings
- Cholangiocarcinoma, Patient Satisfaction, Carcinoma, Hepatocellular
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Ambulatory careOther
Patients with Hepato cellular carcinoma (HCC) and Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCCA) treated by transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) or transarterial radioembolization (TARE) are managed on an outpatient basis: hospitalization in an outpatient unit, followed by systematic telephone and on-demand nursing follow-up for 48 hours for TARE and 72 hours for TACE. A dedicated re-hospitalization circuit has also been set up in the event of complications.
Conventional inpatient careOther
Patients with Hepato cellular carcinoma (HCC) and Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma treated by transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) or transarterial radioembolization (TARE) are managed on an inpatient basis: conventional hospitalization.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Arm Ambulatory care | Experimental | Ambulatory care : Outpatient management of radiological treatment for HCC and iCCA Receives: Other: Ambulatory care |
| Arm Conventional inpatient care | Other | Conventional inpatient care : Conventional inpatient management for radiological treatment of HCC and iCCA Receives: Other: Conventional inpatient care |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Overall patient satisfaction
EORTC PATSAT-C33 questionnaire. All items are scored 1 (bad) to 5 (excellent). The total score measures range in score from 0 to 100. A high score represents a high level of satisfaction with care / perceived care quality.
Measured: 72 hours after treatment procedure
Secondary outcomes (27)
Acceptability (quantitative)
Proportion of consenting patients and description of refusals
Measured: At inclusion visit (pre-treatment)
Acceptability (qualitative)
Thematic analysis of individual research interviews with a sample of patients included in both arms of the study.
Measured: At inclusion visit (pre-treatment)
Adoption (quantitative)
Number of outpatient courses completed compared with the number of scheduled courses; number of candidate, open and active centers.
Measured: 32 months
Adoption (qualitative)
Thematic analysis of verbatims collected during focus groups with centers
Measured: 36 months
Relevance (reasons for refusal)
Characteristics of patients whose inclusion in the protocol was refused by the patient/carer.
Measured: 24 months
Relevance (patient expectations)
Thematic content analysis of verbatims collected during individual research interviews with patients in both arms, in order to understand the patient experience throughout the treatment period, and to identify needs and expectations in terms of post-intervention follow-up in both groups.
Measured: 36 months
Feasibility of outpatient care
Proportion of outpatient treatments planned and then cancelled, reasons for non-implementation, perception of obstacles and facilitators via individual interviews and focus groups with caregivers.
Measured: One year after the end of inclusions
Reach (Quantitative)
Patient-related factors associated with ambulatory care pathway failure (Indication; Techniques; Tolerance of organization).
Measured: One year after the end of inclusions
Reach (Qualitative for centers)
thematic analysis of verbatims collected in the focus group, focusing on elements identified by caregivers as having contributed to organizational changes to enable implementation of the ambulatory pathway. Elements perceived as obstacles to change will also be identified and analyzed by theme
Measured: One year after the end of inclusions
Reach (Qualitative for patients)
thematic analysis of verbatims collected during post-treatment interviews, focusing on elements identified by patients as having contributed to their continued health after returning home. Elements relating to improvements to be made to the ambulatory care pathway will also be recorded and analyzed by theme
Measured: One year after the end of inclusions
Comparing the organizations (Pain)
Visual analogue scale (VAS) for pain : 0 ('no pain') to 10 ('pain as bad as it could possibly be')
Measured: Day of procedure (baseline), evening after the procedure, and end of the care pathway (up to 72 hours, depending on treatment)
Comparing the organizations (Comfort and satisfaction)
Quality Of Life Questionnaire - Satisfaction with Cancer Care - Core questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-PATSAT-C33) for all and specific complementary outpatient module (OUT-PATSAT7) for the outpatient group.
Items are rated from 1 (bad) to 5 (Excellent)
Measured: 72 hours after procedure
Comparing the organizations (Quality of life)
Medical Outcome Study Short Form 12 (SF-12) A score >50 indicates above-average health-related quality of life
Measured: At inclusion visit (pre-treatment), Day 7, Month2/Month3 visit
Comparing the organizations (General condition)
Patient's general condition assessed by clinical status (Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group ECOG) from 0 (Fully active, able to carry on all pre-disease performance without restriction) to 5 (dead)
Measured: At inclusion visit (pre-treatment), Month2/Month3 visit
Comparing the organizations (Complications)
Complications according to the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) V5.0.5 Items from 1 (mild) to 5 (death)
Measured: Month 6
Comparing the organizations (Technical succes)
Technical success defined by completion of the planned procedure. Tumour response according to mRECIST and LI-RADS TRA 2024 (non-evaluable, non-viable, non-progressor, viable)
Measured: Month2/Month3 visit, Month 6
Factors for patient satisfaction (HADS)
Anxiety and depression scale (HADS)
Measured: Inclusion, Admission before surgery and 72 hours after procedure
Factors for patient satisfaction (Disease characteristics)
Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) classification stage, sarcopenia (based on imaging).
Measured: At inclusion visit (pre-treatment)
Factors for patient satisfaction (Treatment characteristics)
- for transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) : selectivity, number of segments treated, % of chemotherapy injected, additional embolization;
- for transarterial radioembolization (TARE): number of injection sites;
- for all: procedure duration, center volume, operator volume, treatment line, combination treatment.
Measured: Day of treatment procedure
Factors for patient satisfaction (socioeconomic)
Socioeconomic level
Measured: At inclusion visit (pre-treatment)
Factors for patient satisfaction (travel)
Home-hospital travel time
Measured: At inclusion visit (pre-treatment)
Factors for patient satisfaction (comorbidities)
Comorbidities
Measured: At inclusion visit (pre-treatment)
Factors for patient satisfaction (ECOG)
Clinical status (ECOG)
Measured: At inclusion visit (pre-treatment)
Factors for patient satisfaction (Quality of life)
Questionnary of quality of life = Medical Outcome Study Short Form 12 (SF-12)
Measured: At inclusion visit (pre-treatment), Day 7, Month 2/Month3
Total cost of each treatment pathway
From the community, health insurance and hospital perspective (depending on the type of treatment received)
Measured: From day of treatment to Month 2/Month 3 visit
Budgetary impact
Annual and cumulative 5-year budgetary impact of changing clinical practices towards outpatient management of patients treated intra-arterially for hepatocellular carcinoma, from a health insurance perspective
Measured: 5 years after study
Ambulatory pathway failure
unplanned hospital admission after the procedure (including same-day unplanned admission), delayed discharge when same-day discharge criteria are not met, or hospital readmission within the predefined early post-procedural window (72 hours)
Measured: within 72 hours post-procedure
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted25 May 2025
- Study start18 Dec 2025
- Primary completion17 Dec 2027 (estimated)
- Study completion17 Dec 2028 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Publications (1)Papers the sponsor has linked to this study.
- Other trials for Hepato Cellular Carcinoma (HCC)Studies 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 N/A
- Primary purpose
- Other
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 206 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- University Hospital, Angers
- Sponsor type
- Other government
- Collaborators
- Université Paris Cité
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
- Investigators
- Christophe AUBE, Pr, Principal investigator, University Hospital, AngersJules GREGORY, Assoc Pr, Principal investigator, Beaujon Hospital (APHP) - Paris cité University
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06990659
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 49RC23_0306
- Other IDs
- 2024-A02727-40
- Acronym
- CHOC
- Status last verified
- Jun 2026
- First submitted
- 24 Apr 2025
- Last updated
- 17 Jul 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No
Publications
Gregory J, Hammel JF, Ronot M, Roux C, Barat M, Allaire M, Parlati L, Moussa N, Beunon P, Oberti F, Chevallier P, Anty R, Girot P, Sutter O, Ganne N, Papadopoulos P, Blanc JF, Ghelfi J, Decaens T, Yzet T, Nguyen-Khac E, Magnin B, Muti L, Risson JR, Tann F, Boige V, Calame P, Richou C, Vilgrain V, Rautou PE, Darsonval A, Nhora R, Devictor J, Bouattour M, Cartron E, Aube C. Implementation and evaluation of an ambulatory care pathway for intra-arterial treatment of primary liver cancer: study protocol for a multicentre randomised controlled hybrid type 1 trial (CHOC). BMJ Open. 2026 Aug 6;16(8):e114720. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2025-114720.
PubMed 42562579