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Perflutren Protein-Type a Microspheres and Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound in Improving Response to Radioembolization Therapy in Patients with Liver Cancer

Phase 2
Active, not recruiting
Conditions
Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Interventions
Procedure: Yttrium-90 Microsphere Radioembolization
Procedure: Dynamic Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound Imaging
Registration Number
NCT03199274
Lead Sponsor
Thomas Jefferson University
Brief Summary

This phase II trial studies how well perflutren protein-type A microspheres and contrast-enhanced ultrasound work in improving response to radioembolization therapy in patients with liver cancer. Ultrasound contrast agents, such as perflutren protein-type A microspheres, use gas microbubbles to improve image quality. Using contrast-enhanced ultrasound imaging will "pop" these microbubbles and cause tumors to become more sensitive to radiation therapies.

Detailed Description

PRIMARY OBJECTIVE:

I. Characterize the ability of localized ultrasound contrast agent destruction to improve hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) response to yttrium Y-90 (Y90) radioembolization.

SECONDARY OBJECTIVE:

I. Determine if contrast-enhanced ultrasound estimated tumor perfusion can reliably predict HCC response to radioembolization 1-14 days post treatment.

OUTLINE: Patients are randomized to 1 of 2 groups.

GROUP I: Patients receive perflutren protein-type A microspheres intravenously (IV) over 10 minutes and undergo contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) over 60 minutes at 1-6 hours and at approximately 7 and 14 days after yttrium Y-90 radioembolization.

GROUP II: Patients undergo standard of care yttrium Y-90 radioembolization.

After completion of study treatment, patients are followed up at 1 month and at 3-4 months.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
104
Inclusion Criteria
  • Be scheduled for sub-lobar radioembolization therapy of a previously untreated HCC mass < 6 cm visible on grayscale ultrasound
  • Be medically stable
  • If a female of child-bearing age, have a negative pregnancy test prior to each ultrasound exam
  • Have signed informed consent to participate in the study
Exclusion Criteria
  • Females who are pregnant or nursing

  • Patients who are medically unstable, patients who are seriously or terminally ill, and patients whose clinical course is unpredictable; for example:

    • Patients on life support or in a critical care unit
    • Patients with unstable occlusive disease (e.g., crescendo angina)
    • Patients with clinically unstable cardiac arrhythmias, such as recurrent ventricular tachycardia
    • Patients with uncontrolled congestive heart failure (New York heart Association [NYHA] class IV)
  • Patients with recent cerebral hemorrhage

  • Patients with known sensitivities to albumin, blood, or blood products

  • Patients with known hypersensitivity to perflutren

  • Patients with known cardiac shunts

  • Patients with known congenital heart defects

  • Patients with severe emphysema, pulmonary vasculitis, or a history of pulmonary embolism

  • Patients with respiratory distress syndrome

  • Patients with a history of bleeding disorders

  • Patients with bilirubin levels > 2 mg/dL

Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
PARALLEL
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
Group I (perflutren protein-type A microspheres, CEUS)Perflutren Protein-Type A MicrospheresPatients receive perflutren protein-type A microspheres IV over 10 minutes and undergo CEUS over 60 minutes at 1-6 hours and at approximately 7 and 14 days after yttrium Y-90 radioembolization.
Group I (perflutren protein-type A microspheres, CEUS)Yttrium-90 Microsphere RadioembolizationPatients receive perflutren protein-type A microspheres IV over 10 minutes and undergo CEUS over 60 minutes at 1-6 hours and at approximately 7 and 14 days after yttrium Y-90 radioembolization.
Group I (perflutren protein-type A microspheres, CEUS)Dynamic Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound ImagingPatients receive perflutren protein-type A microspheres IV over 10 minutes and undergo CEUS over 60 minutes at 1-6 hours and at approximately 7 and 14 days after yttrium Y-90 radioembolization.
Group II (standard of care)Yttrium-90 Microsphere RadioembolizationPatients undergo standard of care yttrium Y-90 radioembolization.
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Treatment response to yttrium Y-90 radioembolizationUp to 4 months

Measured using the modified Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors. Will be tested with a non-parametric Mann- Whitney U-test of the difference in response distributions between control (radioembolization alone) and experimental group (ultrasound-triggered microbubble destruction \[UTMD\] + radioembolization). The outcome variable in this analysis, the modified Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (mRECIST) score, is treated as an ordinal variable in this analysis.

Tumor perfusion measured by contrast-enhanced ultrasound between ultrasound-triggered microbubble destruction pulsesUp to 14 days

Perfusion will be characterized in terms of contrast replenishment time intensity curves fit with a 2-parameter exponential recovery curve. The relationship between the normalized perfusion values from this image processing and the patients' subsequent mRECIST scores in the UTMD + radioembolization group will be evaluated with Spearman's rank order correlation.

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center at Thomas Jefferson University

🇺🇸

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States

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