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CompletedNCT01506115Updated Nov 20, 2015

Safety and Efficacy of Photodynamic Therapy for Bile Duct Invasion of Hepatocellular Carcinoma

An interventional study of Photofrin in Hepatocellular Carcinoma and Obstructive Jaundice, sponsored by Samsung Medical Center. Completed at 1 site in Korea, Republic of. Open to participants aged 19 Years to 70 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2015-11-20.

Sponsored by Samsung Medical Center · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment

Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
11
Allocation
Not applicable
Ages
19 Years to 70 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

The prognosis of patients with obstructive jaundice caused by hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is dismal even after biliary drainage; due to malfunction of the biliary drainage tube caused by hemobilia and/or tumor emboli. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) in hilar cholangiocarcinoma improves biliary drainage and prolongs survival. The aims of this study were to assess the safety and efficacy of PDT in unresectable HCC with bile duct invasion.

Read the detailed description

As more therapies are available for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the survival rate has improved. The incidence of jaundice in patients with HCC is reported as 5-44%, and substantial number of patients experience obstructive jaundice. With the improvement of survival in patients with HCC, it is not uncommon to encounter HCC patients with obstructive jaundice in clinical practice.

The prognosis of patients with obstructive jaundice caused by HCC is dismal due to progressive liver failure, rapid tumor progression and ineffective biliary drainage. The mean survival of HCC with obstructive jaundice after biliary drainage ranges from 2.5 to 4.5 months. Effective biliary drainage to improve jaundice and liver function is inevitably needed for further treatment. However, it is difficult to maintain the patency of the bile duct because recurrent obstruction frequently develops due to hemobilia.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) with biliary drainage is a promising treatment option for advanced cholangiocarcinoma. Presence of the photosensitizer only itself is nontoxic, but showing light with specific wavelengths can induce cytotoxicity. The systemically administrated photosensitizer accumulates preferentially in proliferating tissue. If this targeted lesion is then illuminated by light of a specific wavelength, the activated photosensitizer generates reactive oxygen species, which trigger cell death by apoptosis and necrosis of the cells in the specific area. Experience with PDT in cholangiocarcinoma suggests that a survival benefit can be achieved by prolonged relief of the obstruction.

The investigators hypothesized that conducting PDT with biliary stenting in patients with obstructive jaundice caused by bile duct invasion of HCC would improves stent patency and other clinical outcomes. The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of PDT in HCC patients with bile duct invasion.

02

Conditions studied

  • Hepatocellular Carcinoma
  • Obstructive Jaundice

Keywords

  • Hepatocellular carcinoma
  • Obstructive jaundice
  • Photodynamic therapy
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In context

Carcinoma

6,741 studies on the registry are indexed under Carcinoma; 1,161 are open to participants now.

This study's enrollment of 11 is below the median of 45 across 5,170 interventional studies indexed under Carcinoma.

Browse Carcinoma studies →

Lead sponsor

Samsung Medical Center is the lead sponsor of 980 studies on the registry; 146 are open to participants now.

Of its 7 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 1 (14%) have results posted.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

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Who can participate

Ages eligible
19 Years to 70 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

  • Known HCC: Diagnosis of HCC based on the 2005 AASLD (American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases) practice guidelines
  • Unresectable HCC: Determined based on the BCLC (Barcelona-Clinic-Liver-Cancer) staging and treatment system
  • Bile duct invasion of HCC: Confirmed by pathology via endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatogram (ERCP) or percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage (PTBD). In case pathological diagnosis is clinically impossible, confirmed by dynamic CT or MRI showing that typical arterial enhancing mass in dilated bile duct and previous HCC diagnosis.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Severe renal disease
  • Severe cardiac disease
  • Bleeding tendency
  • Porphyria
05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Not applicable
Intervention model
Single group
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
11 participants (actual)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    HCC with bile duct invasion

    Photodynamic therapy with biliary drainage in patients with bile duct invasion of unresectable HCC

    Drug: Photofrin

Interventions

  • DrugPhotofrin

    Photodynamic therapy: Intravenous Photofrin at a dose of 2 mg/kg body weight, 48 hours before photoactivation by intraluminal light illumination

    Also known as: Photofrin (Axcan Pharma Inc., Mount-Saint-Hilaire, Canada)

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Complications associated with the procedure

    * Procedure related cholangitis: fever accompanied by biliary pain that developed within three days after PDT without other infection * Procedure related pancreatitis: abdominal pain and increases in amylase and lipase levels threefold higher than normal * Procedure related bleeding: more than a 5% decrease in hematocrit compared to the initial value and coexisting bleeding on abdominal CT or endoscopy * Complications associated with the photosensitizer: classified as photosensitivity, burn, and pigmentation

    Time frame: Six months

Secondary outcomes

  1. Improvement of jaundice

    The improvement of jaundice was defined as a decrease in total bilirubin by more than 30% of the pre-procedural value.

    Time frame: Six months

  2. Disappearance of hemobilia

    Disappearance of hemobilia was defined when there was no more evidence of bleeding in patients with previous hemobilia after PDT.

    Time frame: Six months

  3. Survival time

    Survival time was defined as the duration from the date of imaging showing bile duct invasion of HCC to the date of death or to the last follow-up.

    Time frame: Six months

07

Study locations

1 site
  • Samsung Medical Center 81 Irwon-Ro Gangnamgu
    Seoul, 06351, Korea, Republic of
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References and documents

Publications

  • El-Serag HB. Hepatocellular carcinoma. N Engl J Med. 2011 Sep 22;365(12):1118-27. doi: 10.1056/NEJMra1001683. No abstract available. PubMed 21992124 ↗
  • Singal AG, Marrero JA. Recent advances in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma. Curr Opin Gastroenterol. 2010 May;26(3):189-95. doi: 10.1097/MOG.0b013e3283383ca5. PubMed 20224395 ↗
  • Lai EC, Lau WY. Hepatocellular carcinoma presenting with obstructive jaundice. ANZ J Surg. 2006 Jul;76(7):631-6. doi: 10.1111/j.1445-2197.2006.03794.x. PubMed 16813631 ↗
  • Qin LX, Tang ZY. Hepatocellular carcinoma with obstructive jaundice: diagnosis, treatment and prognosis. World J Gastroenterol. 2003 Mar;9(3):385-91. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v9.i3.385. PubMed 12632482 ↗
  • Lau WY, Leow CK, Leung KL, Leung TW, Chan M, Yu SC. Cholangiographic features in the diagnosis and management of obstructive icteric type hepatocellular carcinoma. HPB Surg. 2000;11(5):299-306. doi: 10.1155/2000/79241. PubMed 10674744 ↗
  • Lau WY, Leung JW, Li AK. Management of hepatocellular carcinoma presenting as obstructive jaundice. Am J Surg. 1990 Sep;160(3):280-2. doi: 10.1016/s0002-9610(06)80023-1. PubMed 2168129 ↗
  • Lau W, Leung K, Leung TW, Liew CT, Chan MS, Yu SC, Li AK. A logical approach to hepatocellular carcinoma presenting with jaundice. Ann Surg. 1997 Mar;225(3):281-5. doi: 10.1097/00000658-199703000-00007. PubMed 9060584 ↗
  • Cho HC, Lee JK, Lee KH, Lee KT, Paik S, Choo SW, Do YS, Choo IW. Are endoscopic or percutaneous biliary drainage effective for obstructive jaundice caused by hepatocellular carcinoma? Eur J Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2011 Mar;23(3):224-31. doi: 10.1097/MEG.0b013e3283436ff6. PubMed 21228705 ↗
  • Matsueda K, Yamamoto H, Umeoka F, Ueki T, Matsumura T, Tezen T, Doi I. Effectiveness of endoscopic biliary drainage for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma associated with obstructive jaundice. J Gastroenterol. 2001 Mar;36(3):173-80. doi: 10.1007/s005350170125. PubMed 11291880 ↗
  • Chen MF, Jan YY, Jeng LB, Hwang TL, Wang CS, Chen SC. Obstructive jaundice secondary to ruptured hepatocellular carcinoma into the common bile duct. Surgical experiences of 20 cases. Cancer. 1994 Mar 1;73(5):1335-40. doi: 10.1002/1097-0142(19940301)73:53.0.co;2-m. PubMed 8111698 ↗
  • Groupe d'Etude et de Traitement du Carcinome Hepatocellulaire. A comparison of lipiodol chemoembolization and conservative treatment for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma. N Engl J Med. 1995 May 11;332(19):1256-61. doi: 10.1056/NEJM199505113321903. PubMed 7708069 ↗
  • Shim CS, Cheon YK, Cha SW, Bhandari S, Moon JH, Cho YD, Kim YS, Lee LS, Lee MS, Kim BS. Prospective study of the effectiveness of percutaneous transhepatic photodynamic therapy for advanced bile duct cancer and the role of intraductal ultrasonography in response assessment. Endoscopy. 2005 May;37(5):425-33. doi: 10.1055/s-2005-861294. PubMed 15844020 ↗
  • Zoepf T, Jakobs R, Arnold JC, Apel D, Riemann JF. Palliation of nonresectable bile duct cancer: improved survival after photodynamic therapy. Am J Gastroenterol. 2005 Nov;100(11):2426-30. doi: 10.1111/j.1572-0241.2005.00318.x. PubMed 16279895 ↗
  • Harewood GC, Baron TH, Rumalla A, Wang KK, Gores GJ, Stadheim LM, de Groen PC. Pilot study to assess patient outcomes following endoscopic application of photodynamic therapy for advanced cholangiocarcinoma. J Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2005 Mar;20(3):415-20. doi: 10.1111/j.1440-1746.2005.03582.x. PubMed 15740486 ↗
  • Dumoulin FL, Gerhardt T, Fuchs S, Scheurlen C, Neubrand M, Layer G, Sauerbruch T. Phase II study of photodynamic therapy and metal stent as palliative treatment for nonresectable hilar cholangiocarcinoma. Gastrointest Endosc. 2003 Jun;57(7):860-7. doi: 10.1016/s0016-5107(03)70021-2. PubMed 12776033 ↗
  • Ortner ME, Caca K, Berr F, Liebetruth J, Mansmann U, Huster D, Voderholzer W, Schachschal G, Mossner J, Lochs H. Successful photodynamic therapy for nonresectable cholangiocarcinoma: a randomized prospective study. Gastroenterology. 2003 Nov;125(5):1355-63. doi: 10.1016/j.gastro.2003.07.015. PubMed 14598251 ↗
  • Rumalla A, Baron TH, Wang KK, Gores GJ, Stadheim LM, de Groen PC. Endoscopic application of photodynamic therapy for cholangiocarcinoma. Gastrointest Endosc. 2001 Apr;53(4):500-4. doi: 10.1067/mge.2001.113386. PubMed 11275896 ↗
  • Ortner MA. Photodynamic therapy for cholangiocarcinoma: overview and new developments. Curr Opin Gastroenterol. 2009 Sep;25(5):472-6. doi: 10.1097/MOG.0b013e32832e6e1f. PubMed 19550314 ↗
  • Kahaleh M, Mishra R, Shami VM, Northup PG, Berg CL, Bashlor P, Jones P, Ellen K, Weiss GR, Brenin CM, Kurth BE, Rich TA, Adams RB, Yeaton P. Unresectable cholangiocarcinoma: comparison of survival in biliary stenting alone versus stenting with photodynamic therapy. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2008 Mar;6(3):290-7. doi: 10.1016/j.cgh.2007.12.004. Epub 2008 Feb 6. PubMed 18255347 ↗
  • Witzigmann H, Berr F, Ringel U, Caca K, Uhlmann D, Schoppmeyer K, Tannapfel A, Wittekind C, Mossner J, Hauss J, Wiedmann M. Surgical and palliative management and outcome in 184 patients with hilar cholangiocarcinoma: palliative photodynamic therapy plus stenting is comparable to r1/r2 resection. Ann Surg. 2006 Aug;244(2):230-9. doi: 10.1097/01.sla.0000217639.10331.47. PubMed 16858185 ↗
  • Hu J, Pi Z, Yu MY, Li Y, Xiong S. Obstructive jaundice caused by tumor emboli from hepatocellular carcinoma. Am Surg. 1999 May;65(5):406-10. PubMed 10231205 ↗
  • Ikenaga N, Chijiiwa K, Otani K, Ohuchida J, Uchiyama S, Kondo K. Clinicopathologic characteristics of hepatocellular carcinoma with bile duct invasion. J Gastrointest Surg. 2009 Mar;13(3):492-7. doi: 10.1007/s11605-008-0751-0. Epub 2008 Nov 15. PubMed 19011945 ↗
  • Kubota Y, Seki T, Kunieda K, Nakahashi Y, Tani K, Nakatani S, Yamaguchi T, Mizuno T, Inoue K. Biliary endoprosthesis in bile duct obstruction secondary to hepatocellular carcinoma. Abdom Imaging. 1993;18(1):70-5. doi: 10.1007/BF00201706. PubMed 8381692 ↗
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Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Nov 20, 2015, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
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Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT01506115
Lead sponsor
Samsung Medical Center
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
Jan 9, 2012
Start date
Sep 2009
Primary completion
Mar 2011
Completion
Mar 2011
Last update
Nov 20, 2015

Study contacts

Kwang Hyuck Lee, M.D.
study director · Samsung Medical Center

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
Yes
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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This study is completed, as verified in Jan 2012. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

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