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Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound in Predicting Treatment Response in Patients With Liver Cancer Receiving Transarterial Chemoembolization With Drug Eluting Beads

Phase 1
Completed
Conditions
Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Interventions
Device: Dynamic Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound Imaging
Device: Contrast-enhanced Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Registration Number
NCT03045497
Lead Sponsor
Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center at Thomas Jefferson University
Brief Summary

This pilot clinical trial compares the use of contrast-enhanced ultrasound to contrast-enhanced magnetic response imaging (MRI), the current clinical standard, in predicting treatment response in patients with liver cancer receiving transarterial chemoembolization with drug eluting beads. Comparing results of diagnostic procedures before and after transarterial chemoembolization may help doctors predict a patient's response to treatment and help plan the best treatment. It is not yet known if contrast-enhanced ultrasound works better than contrast-enhanced MRI in predicting treatment response in patients with liver cancer.

Detailed Description

PRIMARY OBJECTIVES:

I. Evaluate if contrast-enhanced ultrasound of hepatocellular carcinomas at one to two weeks and one month correlate with the clinical evaluation standard of a contrast-enhanced MRI at one month (the current clinical standard) in patients who have undergone transarterial chemoembolization with drug eluting beads.

SECONDARY OBJECTIVES:

I. Establish whether changes in quantitative blood flow parameters relative to baseline correlate with effective embolization.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
COMPLETED
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
15
Inclusion Criteria
  • Be scheduled for a transarterial chemoembolization using drug eluting beads for treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma
  • Be medically stable
  • If a female of child-bearing potential, must have a negative pregnancy test
  • 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 (eg, 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 clinically significant and unstable renal disease (eg, transplant recipients in rejection)

  • Patients who have undergone surgery within 24 hours prior to the study sonographic examination

  • Patients with known hypersensitivity to perflutren

  • Patients who have received any contrast medium (x-ray, MRI, computed tomography [CT], or ultrasound [US]) in the 24 hours prior to the research US exam

  • Patients with cardiac shunts

  • Patients with congenital heart defects

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

  • Patients with respiratory distress syndrome

Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
SINGLE_GROUP
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
Diagnostic (contrast-enhanced ultrasound)Perflutren Lipid MicrospheresPatients receive perflutren lipid microspheres IV and then undergo contrast-enhanced ultrasound imaging over approximately 1 hour prior to transarterial chemoembolization with drug eluting beads, at 1-2 weeks and 1 month post transarterial chemoembolization with drug eluting beads. Patients also undergo contrast-enhanced MRI at 1 month post-treatment per standard of care.
Diagnostic (contrast-enhanced ultrasound)Dynamic Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound ImagingPatients receive perflutren lipid microspheres IV and then undergo contrast-enhanced ultrasound imaging over approximately 1 hour prior to transarterial chemoembolization with drug eluting beads, at 1-2 weeks and 1 month post transarterial chemoembolization with drug eluting beads. Patients also undergo contrast-enhanced MRI at 1 month post-treatment per standard of care.
Diagnostic (contrast-enhanced ultrasound)Contrast-enhanced Magnetic Resonance ImagingPatients receive perflutren lipid microspheres IV and then undergo contrast-enhanced ultrasound imaging over approximately 1 hour prior to transarterial chemoembolization with drug eluting beads, at 1-2 weeks and 1 month post transarterial chemoembolization with drug eluting beads. Patients also undergo contrast-enhanced MRI at 1 month post-treatment per standard of care.
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Ability of contrast-enhanced ultrasound to predict response to transarterial chemoembolization with drug eluting beadsUp to 1 month after transarterial chemoembolization

Contrast-enhanced ultrasound of hepatocellular carcinomas at one month will be evaluated to see if it correlates with the clinical evaluation standard of a contrast-enhanced MRI at one month. Sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value will be calculated for the contrast-enhanced ultrasound exam. Correlations between these findings and both contrast-enhanced MRI findings and patient outcomes will be compared using the Fisher exact test. Inter- and intra-observer variability will also be calculated.

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Changes in contrast fill timeBaseline to up to 1 month after transarterial chemoembolization
Change in quantitative blood flow parametersBaseline to up to 1 month after transarterial chemoembolization

Whether changes in quantitative blood flow parameters relative to baseline correlate with effective embolization will be established.

Quantitative parameters of tumor vascularityBaseline to up to 1 month after transarterial chemoembolization
Changes in perfusionBaseline to up to 1 month after transarterial chemoembolization
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