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Not yet taking people in SwitzerlandPhase 3

Atezolizumab Before Liver Surgery in Adults With Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Tests atezolizumab given before surgery in adults with liver cancer.

Key facts

Who runs it
University of Geneva, Switzerland
Where
Geneva, SwitzerlandSee the site
Trial code
Registry title
Effects of Neoadjuvant Immunotherapy on Anti-tumour Immunity in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Patients Undergoing Liver Resection
Status
Not yet recruiting
Phase
Phase 3
People taking part
30 people, planned
Started
25 Mar 2026
Expected to end
31 Dec 2029
Type of study
Interventional, 2 groupsOne group gets no study treatment, for comparison.
Treatments tested
  • Atezolizumab
Record updated
10 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 hepatocellular carcinoma (liver cancer) who are going to have liver surgery. Some get atezolizumab immunotherapy before the operation.

Age
18 years and older
Sex
All sexes can join.
Disease stage
Hepatocellular carcinoma that can be treated with surgery: very early to early stage (BCLC), with preserved liver function and good general condition. Compensated cirrhosis is allowed.
Earlier treatment
Cannot join if treated with a systemic immunotherapy in the last 6 months, or if given a live or attenuated vaccine in the last 28 days. Cannot join if on steroid treatment. Control group: patients having liver resection without earlier immunotherapy (ICI).
Biomarker or test result
Negative pregnancy test at inclusion. People with Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C or HIV can join only if treated (HIV with normal CD4 counts).

Main reasons for not taking part

  • Pregnant or breastfeeding women
  • Allergy or severe side effects to immunotherapy (ICI) in the past
  • Weak immune system (immunosuppressed, or blood disorder with deficient immunity)
  • Untreated Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C or HIV
  • History of inflammatory lung disease or active brain metastasis

The registry criteria, word for word

Show all 17 criteriaShow less

Who can take part

  • All adult patients undergoing liver resection for HCC at the Geneva University Hospitals (HUG), with prior informed and signed consent
  • Patients of childbearing age must be willing to use a contraception at the day of inclusion and for at least 5 months after the last infusion
  • Negative pregnancy test at inclusion
  • Patients will require to be eligible for surgical resection according to the BCLC guidelines (very early to early stage with preserved liver function and good patient condition) (4)
  • The control group will include data from the patients in our ongoing research project (study protocol 2023-02372), undergoing liver resection without prior ICI therapy (n = 30)

Who cannot take part

  • Patients who do not ultimately undergo liver resection due to unforeseen reasons (this happens rarely, such as in the presence of unexpected HCC progression discovered during surgery)
  • Patients with an ongoing pregnancy (an unlikely event, as non-surgical HCC treatments would be prioritized in such cases)
  • Patients with hepatic and/or cardiovascular deficiencies that contra-indicate surgery. Compensated cirrhotic patients are expected and will be included in the study as no dosage modification of the atezolizumab is required for these patients
  • Patients who received a live or attenuated vaccine in the last 28 days before inclusion in the study
  • Patients with history of inflammatory pneumopathy, active brain metastasis and patients treated with a systemic immunotherapy in the last 6 months
  • Patients under steroid treatment during the inclusion will be excluded
  • Patients with medical history of allergy or severe AEs to ICI therapy
  • Immunosuppressed patients and patients with haematological disorder leading to a deficient immunity
  • Patients with untreated Hepatitis B and/or C or HIV. HIV patients under treatment with normal CD4 counts can be included. Hepatitis B and/or C patients under antiviral therapies can be included
  • Patients <18 years
  • Patients unable to follow procedures due to language barriers, insufficient comprehension of project language, or unable to give consent
  • Pregnant and/or breastfeeding women. Lactating women should stop lactation or will be excluded from the study as breastfeeding under atezolizumab is not recommended. Furthermore, breastfeeding is not recommended for at least 5 months after the last dose

Where in Switzerland

  • Geneva University HospitalsGeneva, SwitzerlandContact: Charles-Henri Wassmer, MD-PhDNo longer taking part

About the trial

What the trial wants to find out

Our study aims to evaluate the benefit of the administration of immunotherapy (atezolizumab), in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), prior surgical resection of the tumor.

Read full original descriptionShow less

HCC is the most prevalent primary liver cancer, responsible for nearly 800,000 deaths annually, making it the third leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. Ablation by radiologic micro-waves or surgical resection represent at the moment the only curative therapies for early stages of the disease. Despite these curative options, HCC recurrence is frequent.

Recently, immunotherapy has demonstrated good results on patient overall survival for advanced stages of HCC in comparison to sorafenib. Because of the beneficial effect of immunotherapy on HCC, several groups have attempt to use it as adjuvant therapy in order to reduce the recurrence rate. However the results are at the moment controversial. One can hypothetize that postoperative inflammation and liver regeneration can negatively impact the effect of the immunotherapy. Therefore, the administration of the treatmeent before surgical resection could overcome this issue.

The 2 groups in the trial

  • Treated group. Patients receiving immunotherapy before surgical resection of their HCCTreatment being tested

    Treatment: Atezolizumab

  • Control groupNo study treatment, for comparison

    Patients undergoing surgical resection for HCC without any neoadjuvant treatment

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
Effects of Neoadjuvant Immunotherapy on Anti-tumour Immunity in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Patients Undergoing Liver Resection
Plain-language title
Atezolizumab Before Liver Surgery in Adults With Hepatocellular CarcinomaGenerated 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
10 March 2026
Under construction, not live – Effects of Neoadjuvant Immunotherapy on Anti-tumour Immunity in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Patients Undergoing Liver Resection (NCT07461675) – Frontlight Research