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Clinical Trial Comparing TACE With TACE + SABR in Stage BCLC B HCC (HepSTAR)

Phase 2
Terminated
Conditions
Liver Neoplasms
Hepatocellular Cancer
Interventions
Procedure: Trans-arterial Chemo-Embolization
Drug: Doxorubicin
Radiation: Stereotactic Ablative Radiotherapy
Registration Number
NCT02958163
Lead Sponsor
Cliniques universitaires Saint-Luc- Université Catholique de Louvain
Brief Summary

This will be multicentre a phase II randomized controlled and open-label trial. It will compare the 6-months objective response (CR+PR) rates obtained with Drug Eluting Bead Trans-Arterial Chemo-Embolization (DEB-TACE) alone versus DEB-TACE followed by Stereotactic Ablative Radiotherapy (SABR) in patients with hepatocarcinoma stage BCLC B.

This trial will also include one substudy. This substudy will confront the immuno-histochemical results collected on tumoral biopsies to the biological and imaging (MRI) results. Every patient participating to the trial can also participate to this substudy.

Detailed Description

The patients will be randomized in 2 arms determining the treatment they will receive:

Arm A: actual standard treatment = TACE Arm B: experimental arm = TACE + SABR

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
TERMINATED
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
3
Inclusion Criteria
  • Hepatocellular carcinoma larger than 3 cm and non-resectable, with a diagnosis established either by:

    • dynamic imaging (non-invasively), showing a typical contrast enhancement and wash-out
    • histopathology
  • satellite lesions are allowed (at most three lesions) as long as the doses constraints are still achievable

  • Hepatocellular carcinoma belonging to Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer Stage System class B

  • Tumor must be measurable on a multi-phase MRI according to mRECIST criteria

  • Non-tumoral liver volume ≥ 800 cc

  • Child-Pugh (CP) A to B7 cirrhosis

  • HCC Patients can be included if they require treatment prior to liver transplantation

  • ECOG performance status 0-1

  • AST/ALT < 5 times ULN

  • Initial platelets ≥ 50 000 x 10E9/l, neutrophils > 1500 x 10E9/l, Hb > 9 g/dl

  • Serum creatinine < 1.5 X normal, or calculated Creatinine clearance rate ≥ 60 mL/min

  • As tumor biopsy can be performed after inclusion, pure hepatocellular carcinoma but also mixed hepatocellular carcinoma will be allowed in this trial. Cholangiocarcinoma cannot be included.

  • Written informed consent form to be signed,

  • Patient willing and able to comply to the follow-up schedule

  • Patients in fertile age should use a contraceptive method during treatment and 4 months after.

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Exclusion Criteria
  • Eligibility for resection or ablative treatments
  • Extra hepatic spread of the disease
  • Previous treatment of the same lesion with TACE
  • Previous treatment with selective internal radiotherapy or radiotherapy to the upper abdomen
  • Uncontrolled Ascites
  • Uncontrolled Encephalopathy
  • Any clinical sign of acute viral or non-viral hepatitis (new serological testing are not required)
  • Known current pregnancy
  • Uncontrolled active co-morbidity
Read More

Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
PARALLEL
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
Trans-Arterial Chemo-embolization (TACE)Trans-arterial Chemo-EmbolizationTrans-arterial Embolisation will be performed with drug-eluting beads loaded with Doxorubicin. First session will be given within 4 weeks after randomization. 4-phase MRI will be performed every 2 months to assess the response. In case of insufficient response according to the MRI performed at 2 or 4 months, a second or third session of DEB-TACE will be allowed, according to the physician's choice. Once complete response is achieved, the follow-up period will start. The date of the last session of TACE corresponds to the treatment completion date.
TACE+Stereotactic Ablative RadiotherapyTrans-arterial Chemo-EmbolizationThe first part of the treatment, which is the DEB-TACE delivery, will be exactly the same than in arm A. The radiotherapy (SABR) will then start within 4 to 6 weeks after. Afterwards, 4-phase MRI will be performed every 2 months to assess the response. In case of insufficient response according to the MRI performed at 2 or 4 months, a second or third session of DEB-TACE will be allowed, according to the physician's choice. Once complete response is achieved, the follow-up period will start. The date of the last SABR fraction or the last session of TACE corresponds to the treatment completion date.
TACE+Stereotactic Ablative RadiotherapyDoxorubicinThe first part of the treatment, which is the DEB-TACE delivery, will be exactly the same than in arm A. The radiotherapy (SABR) will then start within 4 to 6 weeks after. Afterwards, 4-phase MRI will be performed every 2 months to assess the response. In case of insufficient response according to the MRI performed at 2 or 4 months, a second or third session of DEB-TACE will be allowed, according to the physician's choice. Once complete response is achieved, the follow-up period will start. The date of the last SABR fraction or the last session of TACE corresponds to the treatment completion date.
TACE+Stereotactic Ablative RadiotherapyStereotactic Ablative RadiotherapyThe first part of the treatment, which is the DEB-TACE delivery, will be exactly the same than in arm A. The radiotherapy (SABR) will then start within 4 to 6 weeks after. Afterwards, 4-phase MRI will be performed every 2 months to assess the response. In case of insufficient response according to the MRI performed at 2 or 4 months, a second or third session of DEB-TACE will be allowed, according to the physician's choice. Once complete response is achieved, the follow-up period will start. The date of the last SABR fraction or the last session of TACE corresponds to the treatment completion date.
Trans-Arterial Chemo-embolization (TACE)DoxorubicinTrans-arterial Embolisation will be performed with drug-eluting beads loaded with Doxorubicin. First session will be given within 4 weeks after randomization. 4-phase MRI will be performed every 2 months to assess the response. In case of insufficient response according to the MRI performed at 2 or 4 months, a second or third session of DEB-TACE will be allowed, according to the physician's choice. Once complete response is achieved, the follow-up period will start. The date of the last session of TACE corresponds to the treatment completion date.
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Objective response rate at 6 months6 months after the completion of treatment

Objective response rate including complete and partial response based on the MRI evaluation (mRECIST)

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
1-year overall survival1 year after the treatment completion

defined as survival rate of patients at 1 year after the end of treatment

Time to progression1 year after the treatment completion

defined as the time between the end of treatment and the occurrence of a local recurrence. The diagnoses of another intra- or extra-hepatic lesion of HCC will not be considered as progression

Time to untreatable progression1 year after the treatment completion

defined as the time between the end of treatment and the occurrence of untreatable intra-hepatic disease

Quality of life assessment by questionnaire at baselinebaseline

Quality of life will be assessed by questionnaires: EORTC QLQC30. The investigators will ask each patient to answer to these questionnaires once at randomization.

Quality of life assessment by questionnaire at 2 months2 months

Quality of life will be assessed by questionnaires: EORTC QLQC30. The investigators will ask each patient to answer to these questionnaires 2 months after treatment completion

Quality of life assessment by questionnaire at 6 months6 months after treatment completion

Quality of life will be assessed by questionnaires: EORTC QLQC30. The investigators will ask each patient to answer to these questionnaires 6 months after treatment completion

Assessment by questionnaires of specific for hepatocarcinoma quality of life at baselinebaseline

Quality of life will be assessed by questionnaires specific for patients with hepatocarcinoma:EORTC QLQH18. The investigators will ask each patient to answer to these questionnaires once at randomization.

Assessment by questionnaires of specific for hepatocarcinoma quality of life at 2 months2 months after treatment completion

Quality of life will be assessed by questionnaires specific for patients with hepatocarcinoma:EORTC QLQH18. The investigators will ask each patient to answer to these questionnaires 2 months after treatment completion

Assessment by questionnaires of specific for hepatocarcinoma quality of life at 6 months6 months after treatment completion

Quality of life will be assessed by questionnaires specific for patients with hepatocarcinoma:EORTC QLQH18. The investigators will ask each patient to answer to these questionnaires 6 months after treatment completion

Overall response rate based on the MRI evaluation in Child Pugh B7 patients6 months

As the choice of the irradiation scheme will be influenced by the severity of the underlying cirrhosis with a Child Pugh score B7, the overall response rate in this specific kind of patients will be separately measured besides the overall response rate of the whole cohort.

6-months overall survival1 year after the treatment completion

defined as survival rate of patients at 6months after the end of treatment

Acute toxicities6 months after treatment completion

Acute toxic events will have to be described and recorded in accordance with the CTCAE 4.03 (Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse events).

Late toxicities6 months after treatment completion

Late toxic events will have to be described and recorded in accordance with the CTCAE 4.03 (Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse events).

Trial Locations

Locations (5)

Cliniques Universitaires Saint Luc

🇧🇪

Brussels, Woluwé Saint Lambert, Belgium

Clinique et Maternité Sainte Elisabeth/CHU Mont Godinne

🇧🇪

Namur, Belgium

Institut Jules Bordet/Hôpital Erasme

🇧🇪

Brussels, Belgium

Hôpital de JOLIMONT

🇧🇪

Jolimont, Hainaut, Belgium

Centre Hospitalier Universitaire/CHC Saint Joseph

🇧🇪

Liege, Liège, Belgium

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