NCT07322848RecruitingPhase 3
DEB-TACE vs cTACE in HCC After TIPS
Drug Eluting Beads Transarterial Chemoembolization Versus Conventional Transarterial Chemoembolization for Beyond-Milan-Criteria Hepatocellular Carcinoma After Transjugular Intrahepatic Portosystemic Shunt: A Phase 3, Open Label, Multicenter, Randomized Controlled Trial
Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Last updated 1 May 2026
Brief summary (registry, in English)
This is a Phase 3, open-label, multicenter, randomized controlled clinical trial designed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of Drug-Eluting Bead Transarterial Chemoembolization (DEB-TACE) compared with Conventional Transarterial Chemoembolization (cTACE) in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) that is beyond the Milan criteria and who have previously undergone a Transjugular Intrahepatic Portosystemic Shunt (TIPS) procedure. The TIPS procedure is commonly performed to manage complications of portal hypertension, such as variceal bleeding or refractory ascites, in patients with cirrhosis. However, after TIPS, treatment options for HCC-particularly in cases exceeding the Milan criteria-remain limited and not well-defined in current guidelines. While TACE is a standard locoregional therapy for intermediate-stage HCC, its application in patients with a prior TIPS is controversial due to altered hepatic hemodynamics, which may increase the risk of liver toxicity and compromise treatment safety and efficacy. Preliminary retrospective data suggest that DEB-TACE, which uses calibrated drug-eluting microspheres, may offer a safer and more effective alternative to cTACE in this specific patient population by providing more controlled drug delivery and potentially reducing systemic and hepatic toxicity. The primary objective of this study is to determine whether DEB-TACE improves Overall Survival (OS) compared to cTACE in patients with beyond-Milan HCC after TIPS. Secondary objectives include comparing the safety profile, Progression-Free Survival (PFS), Objective Response Rate (ORR), Disease Control Rate (DCR), and Quality of Life (QoL) between the two treatment arms. The study aims to enroll 206 participants who will be randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to receive either DEB-TACE or cTACE. The trial will include a 24-month recruitment period and a 24-month treatment and follow-up phase, with a total study duration of 48 months. By directly comparing these two TACE approaches in a prospectively defined and randomized setting, this study seeks to provide high-level evidence to guide the optimal locoregional treatment strategy for HCC patients with a history of TIPS placement.
- Status (registry)
- Recruiting
- Phase (registry)
- Phase 3
- Study type
- Interventional
- Enrollment
- 206 (estimated)
- First submitted
- 4 Dec 2025
- Start date
- 1 Dec 2025
- Primary completion date
- 31 Dec 2029
- Lead sponsor
- First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University
- Diseases
- Liver and biliary tract cancer
- NCT number
- NCT07322848
What you commit to
- Study type: Interventional · Phase 3
- Planned participants: 206
- From 1 Dec 2025 to the primary completion date, 31 Dec 2029
- 1 site in 1 country
- Visits and tests: ask the trial team, the registry does not list them
Built from the registry fields of ClinicalTrials.gov. It describes the study, not your situation.
Who cannot take part
Copied verbatim from ClinicalTrials.gov and grouped by topic. Only the trial team decides who can take part.
Prior treatment
- underwent liver transplantation or antitumor therapy after TIPS placement.
- participation in other drug clinical trials within 12 months prior to enrollment.
Other illness
- Allergy to contrast agents.
- co-infection with HIV or syphilis.
- concurrent other malignancy or history of other malignancy within the past 5 years.
- severe cardiac, renal, or other organ dysfunction.
- active clinically severe infection \> Grade 2 (per NCI-CTC v5.0).
- psychiatric/psychological conditions that may impair informed consent.
Other
- diffuse hepatic infiltration, unassessable lesions on imaging, or tumor burden \>50%.
- simultaneous portal vein branch tumor thrombus or main portal vein tumor thrombus.
- contraindications to TACE (e.g., portosystemic shunt, hepatofugal blood flow, significant atherosclerosis).
- presence of brain metastases.
- pregnancy, breastfeeding, or planning pregnancy within 2 years.
Who the study is looking for
- histologically or clinically confirmed primary hepatocellular carcinoma, beyond Milan criteria (single lesion \>5 cm OR ≥3 lesions with at least one ≥3 cm). At least one intrahepatic measurable lesion with tumor burden ≤50%, no distant metastasis. No prior antitumor therapy within 12 months before enrollment.
- underwent TIPS procedure for secondary prevention of variceal bleeding or refractory ascites. Confirmed patent TIPS at 1-month follow-up with portosystemic blood flow visible throughout the shunt and Doppler velocity \> 60 cm/s.
- child-Pugh class A or B.
- estimated survival ≥3 months.
- adequate organ function:Neutrophils ≥1.5 × 10⁹/L; Platelets ≥50 × 10⁹/L; Hemoglobin ≥90 g/L; Serum albumin ≥30 g/L; Bilirubin ≤50 μmol/L; AST/ALT ≤5 × upper limit of normal (ULN), ALP ≤4 × ULN; INR ≤2.3; Creatinine ≤1.5 × ULN.
Age in the registry: 18 years to 75 years · Sex: All · Does not accept healthy volunteers
Sites (1)
Sites in registry order. Pick your city on the disease page to sort them by distance.
| Site | City | Country | Site status |
|---|---|---|---|
| The First Affiiated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Guangzhou | China | Recruiting |
This page is information, not medical advice. Discuss any trial with your doctor.