Under construction – not a live service
Sign in
Taking people in FranceNo phase

Adds fast liver MRI to ultrasound to find early liver cancer

Tests fast liver MRI with ultrasound to spot early liver cancer in high-risk adults.

Key facts

Who runs it
Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris
Where
Bondy, FranceSee the site
Trial code
Registry title
FAST-IRM for HCC suRveillance in pAtients With High risK of Liver Cancer.
Status
Recruiting
People taking part
944 people, planned
Started
23 Nov 2022
Expected to end
23 Jun 2030
Type of study
Interventional, 2 groupsOne group gets an existing treatment, for comparison.
Treatments tested
  • Liver ultrasound and fast-MRI
  • Liver ultrasound
Record updated
12 March 2026

Who can take part

AI summary

From the trial's eligibility criteria. Machine-read from the registry text on this page, so it can be wrong. The registry text below and the trial team decide who can take part.

The trial is looking for adults with cirrhosis who are already in a liver cancer screening program and have a high yearly risk of liver cancer (more than 3%). It compares ultrasound alone with ultrasound plus a short MRI.

Age
18 years or older
Sex
All sexes can join
Disease stage
Cirrhosis proven by tissue test or clearly suggested by non-invasive tests. Child-Pugh A or B. No liver cancer (HCC) on imaging in the last 3 months. Estimated yearly risk of HCC above 3%.
Earlier treatment
Must have been in a liver cancer screening program for at least 6 months in a tertiary hepatology center. If the cause is hepatitis B or C, it must be controlled or healed.

Main reasons for not taking part

  • Child-Pugh C score
  • Active hepatitis B or C
  • Estimated yearly risk of HCC below 3%
  • Cannot have a short MRI (Fast-MRI) or ultrasound cannot see the liver well
  • Pregnant or breastfeeding women

The registry criteria, word for word

Show all 20 criteriaShow less

Who can take part

  • Age ≥ 18 years
  • Patient enrolled in a screening program for at least 6 months in a tertiary hepatology center
  • Cirrhosis histologically proven or unequivocally suggested by non-invasive tests
  • Absence of HCC on imaging less than 3 months o
  • Liver parenchyma explorable by ultrasound
  • Child-Pugh A or B
  • Cirrhosis of non-viral or viral B/C cause controlled/healed
  • With an estimated annual risk of HCC>3%
  • Written informed consent
  • Affiliation to a social security system

Who cannot take part

  • No prior enrollment in a screening program
  • Active hepatitis B or C
  • Child-Pugh C score
  • Estimated annual risk of HCC<3%
  • Contraindication to Fast-MRI
  • Non-echogenic patient
  • Patient deprived of liberty
  • Patient under legal protection
  • Pregnant or breastfeeding woman
  • Patient on AME (state medical aid)

Where in France

  • Assistance Publique Hôpitaux de Paris - Hôpital AvicenneBondy, FranceContact: Pierre NAHON, MD, PhDTaking people

About the trial

What the trial wants to find out

Intro: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the 6th leading cause of cancer worldwide. In France, more than 10,000 new cases are identified each year. The latter occur in 85% of cases in cirrhosis, the most frequent causes of which are excessive alcohol consumption, metabolic syndrome or HBV/HCV infection. Patients with cirrhosis justify being included in monitoring programs involving the performance of a semi-annual liver ultrasound (US) in order to detect HCC eligible for curative treatment (liver resection or percutaneous ablation). This practice is considered to be cost-effective in the event of an annual incidence of HCC> 1.5%. US in this context has a low sensitivity for the detection of HCC at the very early stage and the following observations have been made in the last 20 years:

Read full original descriptionShow less

* The rate of patients detected at early stage BCLC 0 is around 30% by ultrasound * The rate of patients included in surveillance programs detected with advanced HCC eligible for palliative treatment is around 20% * Reducing the periodicity of liver ultrasounds from 6 to 3 months does not improve these results.

In parallel, liver MRI has been evaluated as a tool for the early detection of HCC. Its performance for the detection of HCC at the very early stage exceeds 80%. However, due to the higher cost compared to US, it was estimated that its use in screening context would only be cost effective in the event of an annual incidence> 3%. In addition, the practice of these expensive and long-lasting MRIs (30 to 45 minutes) can be optimized by carrying out abbreviated MRI protocols" or Fast-MRI: short protocols (<10 minutes), based on the sequences with the better detection sensitivities (Se> 83%).

The hypothesis is that Fast-MRI used as a screening examination in patients at high risk of HCC (> 3% per year) could increase the rates of patients detected at an early stage accessible to curative treatment and demonstrate its cost-effectiveness in this population.

Hypothesis/Objective: The main objective is to assess the cost / QALY and / patient detected with an early HCC BCLC 0 (single tumor <2cm) by semi-annual monitoring by liver US and Fast-MRI, compared to conventional semi-annual monitoring by liver US alone in patients with cirrhosis and an anticipated HCC incidence>3%.

Conclusion: If positive, this trial could modify international practice guidelines and set MRI as the optimal tool for early HCC detection in high-risk patients.

The 2 groups in the trial

  • Enhanced screeningTreatment being tested

    Half-yearly liver ultrasound and fast-MRI

    Treatment: Liver ultrasound and fast-MRI

  • Screening recommendationsExisting treatment, for comparison

    Half-yearly liver ultrasound

    Treatment: Liver ultrasound

Questions to ask the study team

  1. How often do I need to come in, and for how long each time?
  2. Are travel costs paid?
  3. Can I keep my own doctor?
  4. What happens if I want to stop?

Contact the study team: see the registry record → Contacts and Locations

Print a page for my doctor

Data and sources

Registry record
Listed on ClinicalTrials.gov.
Official title
Randomized Study Evaluating the Cost Impact and Effectiveness of Systematic Liver Fast-MRI Surveillance for Early-stage Hepatocellular Carcinoma in High-risk Patients Included in Ultrasound Surveillance Programs
Plain-language title
Adds fast liver MRI to ultrasound to find early liver cancerGenerated from the registry record. The registry title is the official one.
AI summary
From the trial's eligibility criteria. Read by machine on 12 November 2026.
Record updated
12 March 2026