Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) PrognosisNCT07600346
A Comparative Study on the Diagnostic Efficacy of Ultrasound Contrast LI-RADS Grading and the German ESCULAP Standards for the Diagnosis of Recurrent Hepatic Mass Lesions After Hepatocellular Carcinoma Surgery
An observational study of Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) Prognosis and Contrast-enhanced Ultrasound, run by The First Hospital of Jilin University.
Trial summary
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the sixth most common malignant tumor worldwide, with a significantly increased incidence among patients with liver diseases. Even if HCC can be treated by surgical resection and ablation, the 5-year recurrence rate is as high as 50-70%. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and older
- Conditions the study is for
- Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) Prognosis, Contrast-enhanced Ultrasound
- What is being tested?
- Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound
- How many people
- 105 participants
- Where
- No sites listed yet
- Study dates
- 30 May 2026to 30 May 2027
- Phase
- Observational
- 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
Study population: The study population consisted of outpatients and inpatients who visit the Department of Abdominal Ultrasound at First Hospital of Jilin University and undergo liver contrast-enhanced ultrasound between May 2026 and May 2027.
Who may be able to join
- (1) At least 18 years old; (2) Has a previous history of liver cell cancer surgery or ablation, and has a newly developed liver lesion this time; (3) The new lesion completed a complete contrast-enhanced ultrasound examination within two weeks before the final diagnosis, and the dynamic imaging data is completely preserved; (4) The new lesion has a clear pathological or clinical diagnosis.
Who cannot join
- (1) The quality of contrast-enhanced ultrasound images is poor, making it impossible to assess the critical phases; (2) New lesions that have been treated locally or systemically.
About this study
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the sixth most common malignant tumor worldwide, with a significantly increased incidence among patients with liver diseases. Even if HCC can be treated by surgical resection and ablation, the 5-year recurrence rate is as high as 50-70%. The Liver Imaging Reporting and Data System (LI-RADS), released by the American College of Radiology (ACR), is a classification management system specifically designed to evaluate liver lesions in high-risk HCC patients. Since its release in 2011, the CT/MRI LI-RADS has been updated to the 2018 version. Subsequently, the CEUS LI-RADS was introduced in 2016 and updated in 2017. The CEUS LI-RADS standard has relatively high specificity but lacks sensitivity. The ESCULAP (Erlanger Synopsis of Contrast-enhanced Ultrasound for Liver lesion Assessment in Patients at Risk) standard proposed by Schellhaas et al. in Germany has high sensitivity in diagnosing HCC in patients with liver diseases . However, there is currently a lack of research on the diagnostic efficacy of these two standards for the re-discovery of liver space-occupying lesions in patients with a history of HCC. This study aims to compare the diagnostic efficacy of the two standards for recurrent HCC in patients with a history of HCC.
Read the detailed description
This study is a cross-sectional study.
- Being tested
- Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound
- Medical subject headings
- Carcinoma, Hepatocellular
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Contrast-Enhanced UltrasoundDiagnostic test
The contrast-enhanced ultrasound technique, by injecting the contrast agent through the basilic vein, enables real-time and dynamic observation of the blood flow perfusion of liver lesions.
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Diagnostic Performance as Measured by AUC
The Area Under the Receiver Operating Characteristic curve (AUC) of CEUS LI-RADS LR-5 versus the Erlanger criteria for diagnosing recurrent HCC, using histopathology or composite clinical follow-up as the reference standard. Comparison will be performed using the DeLong test.
Measured: Up to 1 month after the enrollment and data collection completion.
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted20 May 2026
- Study start30 May 2026 (estimated)
- Primary completion30 May 2027 (estimated)
- Study completion30 May 2027 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) PrognosisStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by The First Hospital of Jilin UniversityThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- 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
- Observational
- Observational model
- Other
- Time perspective
- Prospective
- Enrolment
- 105 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- The First Hospital of Jilin University
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Dezhi Zhang, The First Hospital of Jilin University
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07600346
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 2026-MS-241
- Status last verified
- May 2026
- First submitted
- 14 May 2026
- Last updated
- 20 May 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- Undecided
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 20 May 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- A Comparative Study on the Diagnostic Efficacy of Ultrasound Contrast LI-RADS Grading and the German ESCULAP Standards for the Diagnosis of Recurrent Hepatic Mass Lesions After Hepatocellular Carcinoma Surgery
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07600346
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- 2026-MS-241
- Study type
- Observational
- Recruitment status
- Not yet recruiting
- Enrolment
- 105 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- The First Hospital of Jilin UniversityUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 30 May 2026 (estimated)
- Primary completion
- 30 May 2027 (estimated)
- Study completion
- 30 May 2027 (estimated)
- First posted
- 20 May 2026 (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.
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the sixth most common malignant tumor worldwide, with a significantly increased incidence among patients with liver diseases. Even if HCC can be treated by surgical resection and ablation, the 5-year recurrence rate is as high as 50-70%. The Liver Imaging Reporting and Data System (LI-RADS), released by the American College of Radiology (ACR), is a classification management system specifically designed to evaluate liver lesions in high-risk HCC patients. Since its release in 2011, the CT/MRI LI-RADS has been updated to the 2018 version. Subsequently, the CEUS LI-RADS was introduced in 2016 and updated in 2017. The CEUS LI-RADS standard has relatively high specificity but lacks sensitivity. The ESCULAP (Erlanger Synopsis of Contrast-enhanced Ultrasound for Liver lesion Assessment in Patients at Risk) standard proposed by Schellhaas et al. in Germany has high sensitivity in diagnosing HCC in patients with liver diseases . However, there is currently a lack of research on the diagnostic efficacy of these two standards for the re-discovery of liver space-occupying lesions in patients with a history of HCC. This study aims to compare the diagnostic efficacy of the two standards for recurrent HCC in patients with a history of HCC.
Detailed description
This study is a cross-sectional study.
Study design
- Observational model
- Other
- Time perspective
- Prospective
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
- Study population
- The study population consisted of outpatients and inpatients who visit the Department of Abdominal Ultrasound at First Hospital of Jilin University and undergo liver contrast-enhanced ultrasound between May 2026 and May 2027.
Key inclusion criteria (1 listed)
- (1) At least 18 years old; (2) Has a previous history of liver cell cancer surgery or ablation, and has a newly developed liver lesion this time; (3) The new lesion completed a complete contrast-enhanced ultrasound examination within two weeks before the final diagnosis, and the dynamic imaging data is completely preserved; (4) The new lesion has a clear pathological or clinical diagnosis.
Key exclusion criteria (1 listed)
- (1) The quality of contrast-enhanced ultrasound images is poor, making it impossible to assess the critical phases; (2) New lesions that have been treated locally or systemically.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Contrast-Enhanced UltrasoundThe contrast-enhanced ultrasound technique, by injecting the contrast agent through the basilic vein, enables real-time and dynamic observation of the blood flow perfusion of liver lesions. | Diagnostic test | – |
Primary outcome
Diagnostic Performance as Measured by AUC
Time frame: Up to 1 month after the enrollment and data collection completion.
The Area Under the Receiver Operating Characteristic curve (AUC) of CEUS LI-RADS LR-5 versus the Erlanger criteria for diagnosing recurrent HCC, using histopathology or composite clinical follow-up as the reference standard. Comparison will be performed using the DeLong test.
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 20 May 2026.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: Undecided
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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.
The record lists no contact. Use the official record to reach the sponsor.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
An observational study of Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) Prognosis and Contrast-enhanced Ultrasound, run by The First Hospital of Jilin University.
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 1 inclusion and 1 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: opening soon, as of the sponsor's last update on 20 May 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
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?
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?
Diagnostic Performance as Measured by AUC (time frame: Up to 1 month after the enrollment and data collection completion.). 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 20 May 2026.