Phase I Study of Tumor Treating Fields (TTF) in Combination With Cabozantinib or With Pembrolizumab and Nab-Paclitaxel in Patients With Advanced Solid Tumors Involving the Abdomen or Thorax
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Dose Determining Study of EXS74539 (REC-4539) in Participants With Select Solid Tumors
Immunotherapy for Solid Tumor Malignancies in Pediatrics Using Interleukin-15 and -21 Armored Glypican-3-specific Chimeric Antigen Receptor T Cells
What is liver cancer?
Most liver cancer that starts in the liver is hepatocellular carcinoma, or HCC, which arises from the main liver cells, usually in a liver already damaged by long term disease. The major causes are chronic hepatitis B and C, heavy alcohol use, and fatty liver disease linked to obesity and diabetes, now a growing share of cases; cirrhosis from any cause raises risk sharply, which is why people with cirrhosis are advised to have ultrasound screening. Early liver cancer rarely causes symptoms. Five year relative survival is about 22 percent overall in US data and about 38 percent when the cancer is found while still localized. Treatment ranges from surgery, transplant, and ablation for early disease to radiation and drugs delivered through the liver's arteries, and immunotherapy combinations for advanced disease. Cancer of the bile ducts inside the liver is a different disease covered on our cholangiocarcinoma page.
Fatty liver disease is a leading cause of liver cancer; see fatty liver clinical trials. Bile duct cancer has its own page.
Types of liver cancer clinical trials
Immunotherapy trials. New checkpoint combinations and bispecific antibodies for advanced HCC, and immunotherapy added to local treatments.
Radiation trials. Stereotactic radiation combined with immunotherapy in a Phase 3 trial at more than 130 US sites.
Screening and early detection. Blood tests and screening programs for people with cirrhosis or hepatitis, who have no cancer yet.
Targeted and radioligand trials. Radioactive drugs aimed at proteins on liver cancer cells, and new antibody drug conjugates.
Rare liver cancers. Vaccine and immunotherapy studies for fibrolamellar carcinoma, which affects adolescents and young adults.
Is liver cancer curable?
Sometimes, when tumors are small enough for surgery, transplant, or ablation. Advanced liver cancer is treated to extend life, and immunotherapy combinations have improved survival in recent years.
Who can participate in liver cancer clinical trials?
Most treatment trials enroll adults with HCC confirmed by imaging or biopsy, and require that the liver itself still works reasonably well, usually Child Pugh class A. Trials specify whether the cancer can be removed or treated locally and how many prior systemic treatments are allowed. Screening studies enroll people with cirrhosis or chronic hepatitis and no cancer. Eligibility always varies by study.
Stages of liver cancer, and why they matter for trials
Very early and early. Small tumors in a working liver; surgery, transplant, or ablation can cure; trials test treatment after surgery.
Intermediate. Multiple tumors confined to the liver; treated through the liver's arteries, and trials add immunotherapy.
Advanced. Spread into blood vessels or outside the liver; most drug trials recruit here.
End stage. Liver function severely reduced; usually supportive care rather than trials.
How to enroll in a liver cancer clinical trial
Identify your trial. Use the filters and match the stage or type and the treatment history named in study titles to your own.
Select your preferred location. Enter your city or state; large trials run at many sites, early phase studies at fewer centers.
Explore study details. Click "Learn More" for eligibility, prior treatment rules, and the visit schedule.
Complete the health profile. Click "Get started" to begin the 5-step application. Have three things ready: how your liver cancer was diagnosed and its stage, the cause of your liver disease and your liver function results, and the treatments you have had.
Submit the application. A clinical trial coordinator reviews it and contacts you. Nothing is decided until informed consent, and participation is voluntary at every step.