LOcoregional vs Systemic Therapy in Patients With BCLC Stage B HCC

Stopped early · Phase 2

Conditions studied: Hepatocellular Carcinoma

In brief

The purpose of this research study is to compare the effectiveness and safety of two standard of care treatments in people who have been diagnosed with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).This research study is being done to compare atezolizumab/bevacizumab to locoregional therapy with either transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) or transarterial radioembolization (TARE).

Key facts

Study ID

NCT05537402

Run by

University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center

People needed

1

Starts

2023-09-27

Expected to finish

2025-06-06

Last updated by the study team

2026-06-18

Who can join

Age: 18 and older. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: not accepted.

You may qualify if…

• Patients with confirmed HCC by imaging (LI-RADS 5) or histopathology
• Treatment-naïve, liver localized (intermediate-stage), i.e., beyond Milan Criteria (one tumor ≤5 cm, or two to three tumors, each ≤3 cm) and not amenable to curative surgery, liver transplantation, or local ablation and no evidence of extrahepatic disease or vascular invasion.
• Child Pugh class A
• Age ≥18 years at time of screening
• ECOG Performance Status 0 or 1
• Patients with HBV infection, which is characterized by positive hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and/or hepatitis B core antibodies (anti-HBcAb) with detectable HBV NA (≥10 IU/ml or above the limit of detection per local lab standard), must be treated with antiviral therapy, as per institutional practice. HBV antiviral therapy must be initiated prior to randomization and patients must remain on antiviral therapy for the study duration and for 6 months after the last dose of study medication.
• Patients who test positive for anti-hepatitis B core (HBc) with undetectable HBV DNA (<10 IU/ml or under the limit of detection per local lab standard) are not required to start antiviral therapy prior to randomization. These subjects will be tested at every cycle to monitor HBV DNA levels and initiate antiviral therapy if HBV DNA is detected (≥10 IU/ml or above the limit of detection per local lab standard). HBV DNA detectable subjects must initiate and remain on antiviral therapy for the study duration and for 6 months after the last dose of study medication.
• Patients with HCV infection, defined by presence of detectable antibody or RNA, should have management of this disease per local institutional practice throughout the study.
• At least 1 measurable intrahepatic lesion suitable for repeat assessments according to the following mRECIST criteria: • Liver lesions that show typical features of HCC on IV contrast-enhanced CT or MRI scans, ie, hypervascularity in the arterial phase with washout in the portal or the late venous phase
• Viable, non-necrotic portion (arterial phase IV contrast-enhancing) that can be accurately measured at baseline as ≥10 mm in the longest diameter
• Adequate organ and marrow function at enrollment as defined below:
• Hemoglobin ≥9.0 g/dL Patients may be transfused to meet this criterion.
• Absolute neutrophil count ≥1500/μL
• Platelet count ≥75000/μL
• Total bilirubin ≤3 × the upper limit of normal (ULN)
• Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) ≤5 × ULN
• Albumin ≥2.8 g/dL
• Lymphocyte count ≥0.5 X 109/L (500/µL)
• 2+ proteinuria or less urine dipstick reading or normal UA with less than 100 mg/dL protein
• Calculated creatinine clearance (CL) ≥30 mL/min as determined by Cockcroft-Gault (using actual body weight) or 24-hour urine creatinine CL
• For patients not receiving therapeutic anticoagulation: INR or aPTT ≤2 × ULN
• Upper endoscopy to evaluate varices and risk of bleeding is required within one year prior to randomization
• Negative HIV test at screening
• All men, as well as women of child-bearing potential must agree to use adequate contraception (hormonal or barrier method of birth control; abstinence) for the duration of study participation, and for 6 months following completion of therapy. Women must refrain from donating eggs during this same period. Should a woman become pregnant or suspect she is pregnant while participating in this study, she should inform her treating physician immediately.
• A female of child-bearing potential is any woman (regardless of sexual orientation, marital status, having undergone a tubal ligation, or remaining celibate by choice) who meets the following criteria:

You may not qualify if…

• Chemotherapy, radiotherapy, or other cancer therapy within 3 months prior to starting study treatment.
• Any prior immunotherapy for malignancy.
• Known fibrolamellar HCC, sarcomatoid HCC, or mixed cholangiocarcinoma and HCC
• Patients with infiltrative-type HCC
• Definite macrovascular invasion or distant metastatic disease at randomization
• Clinically significant ascites, requiring non-pharmacological intervention (e.g., paracentesis) to maintain control within past 6 months
• History of hepatic encephalopathy within past 6 months
• Actively listed or under evaluation for liver transplantation
• Prior bleeding event due to untreated or incompletely treated esophageal and/or gastric varices within 6 months prior to randomization
• History or evidence of inherited bleeding diathesis or significant coagulopathy at risk of bleeding (i.e., in the absence of therapeutic anticoagulation).
• Prior treatment with CD137 agonists or immune checkpoint blockade therapies, including anti-CTLA-4, anti-PD-1, and anti-PD-L1 therapeutic antibodies
• Treatment with investigational therapy within 28 days prior to initiation of study treatment
• Any other disease, metabolic dysfunction, physical examination finding, or clinical laboratory finding that contraindicates the use of an investigational drug, may affect the interpretation of the results, or may render the patient at high risk from treatment complications
• Treatment with therapeutic oral or IV antibiotics within 2 weeks prior to initiation of study treatment Patients receiving prophylactic antibiotics (e.g., to prevent a urinary tract infection or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease exacerbation) are eligible for the study.
• Active tuberculosis
• History of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, organizing pneumonia (e.g., bronchiolitis obliterans), drug-induced pneumonitis, or idiopathic pneumonitis, or evidence of active pneumonitis on screening chest computed tomography (CT) scan
• History of radiation pneumonitis in the radiation field (fibrosis) is permitted.
• Uncontrolled pleural effusion, pericardial effusion, or ascites requiring recurrent drainage procedures (once monthly or more frequently)
• Patients with indwelling catheters (e.g., PleurX®) are allowed.
• Uncontrolled or symptomatic hypercalcemia (ionized calcium > 1.5 mmol/L, calcium > 12 mg/dL or corrected serum calcium > ULN)
• History or evidence upon physical or neurological examination of central nervous system dysfuction
• Current or recent (< 10 days prior to initiation of study treatment) use of aspirin (> 325 mg/day), or clopidogrel (> 75 mg/day) Note: The use of full-dose oral or parenteral anticoagulants for therapeutic purpose is permitted as long as the INR and/or aPTT is within therapeutic limits (according to institution standards) within 7 days prior to initiation of study treatment and the patient has been on a stable dose of anticoagulants for ≥ 2 weeks prior to initiation of study treatment. Prophylactic use of anticoagulants is allowed. However, the use of direct oral anticoagulant therapies such as dabigatran (Pradaxa®) and rivaroxaban (Xarelto®) is not recommended due to bleeding risk.
• History of leptomeningeal disease
• Uncontrolled tumor-related pain. Patients requiring pain medication should be on stable regimen prior to study entry.
• Active or history of autoimmune disease or immune deficiency, including, but not limited to, myasthenia gravis, myositis, autoimmune hepatitis, systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, antiphospholipid antibody syndrome, Wegener granulomatosis, Sjögren syndrome, Guillain-Barré syndrome, or multiple sclerosis, with the following exceptions: Patients with a history of autoimmune-related hypothyroidism who are on thyroid-replacement hormone are eligible for the study.

Where it is running

• Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center - Dallas — Dallas, Texas, United States

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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