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Status unknownNCT02640924Updated Mar 21, 2016

Proton Radiotherapy Versus Radiofrequency Ablation for Patients With Medium or Large Hepatocellular Carcinoma

A Phase 3 interventional study of Proton radiotherapy and Radiofrequency Ablation in Carcinoma, Hepatocellular, sponsored by Chang Gung Memorial Hospital. Status unknown at 1 site in Taiwan. Open to participants aged 20 Years to 85 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2016-03-21.

Sponsored by Chang Gung Memorial Hospital · Phase 3, Interventional, and Treatment

The sponsor has not verified this record recently (last verified Mar 2016), so the status shown — last known as Recruiting — may be out of date.
Phase
Phase 3
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
166
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
20 Years to 85 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common cancers in Taiwan, where chronic viral hepatitis is common. Patients with HCC typically have impaired liver function because of virus- or alcohol- induced cirrhosis and viral hepatitis, and only approximately 20% of them are appropriate candidates for surgery. The 5-year overall survival for patients treated by surgery is approximately 30%-70%. For those not treated with surgery, liver function affected by an underlying liver disease has a strong influence on clinical outcomes, and complicates treatment strategies further than for other tumors. Maximal preservation of normal liver volume and function is an important consideration in the choice of treatment.

Proton beam has been applied to HCC treatment in Japan for longer than a decade, and several retrospective results showed excellent 3-5 years local control rate ranging from 85-95% and nearly no major complications. The investigators also retrospectively reviewed 75 index tumors sized 3.1-7.0cm in 70 patients receiving multiple-electrode radiofrequency ablation with switching controller (ME-SWC RFA) treatments in the period between 1 January 2009 and 31 December 2011 (Oral report in Taiwan Digestive Disease Week, October, 2012). Estimated 1-, 2-, and 3-year cumulative overall survival rates and local control rates were 94%, 85%, 81% and 89%, 83%, 67%, respectively.

Since ME-SWC RFA is the present one of standard modalities for non-surgery, moderate to larger (3-7 cm) HCC, and based on retrospective studies the local control rate of proton therapy was better than radiofrequency ablation, this prospective trial is aimed to compare the effects of these two modalities in 3-7 cm HCC patients who are not candidates for surgery or refuse surgery. This prospective study has high possibility to confirm the role of proton beam in HCC.

Along with the clinical trial, the investigators will also use next generation sequencing (NGS) to exam gene expression profile of tumor samples and find out candidate genes related to local control, intrahepatic control (treatment out-field control in liver), regional lymph node relapse, distant metastasis, and treatment response in HCC.

02

Conditions studied

  • Carcinoma, Hepatocellular

Keywords

  • Hepatocellular carcinoma
  • Proton therapy
  • Radiation therapy
  • Switching control radiofrequency ablation
03

In context

Carcinoma

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

This study's planned enrollment of 166 is above the median of 45 across 5,170 interventional studies indexed under Carcinoma.

Browse Carcinoma studies →

Lead sponsor

Chang Gung Memorial Hospital is the lead sponsor of 1,064 studies on the registry; 235 are open to participants now.

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

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
20 Years to 85 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

  • Pathologically confirmed hepatocellular carcinoma or lesion with typical triphasic CT or MRI imaging features for HCC
  • Single tumor and tumor size > 3cm, ≦7cm in diameter
  • Patients are unsuitable for resection or unwilling to accept surgery.
  • Age ≥20 years old
  • Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status score of 0 or 1
  • Child-Pugh score ≦ 8
  • Willing to sign informed consent regarding participation in this study

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Patients have received any treatment for HCC before this study
  • Pregnancy/breast feeding women
  • Tumor adjacent to bowel \<1cm
  • Extrahepatic metastasis
  • Extrahepatic invasion
  • Portal or hepatic vein tumor invasion/thrombosis
  • Uncontrolled ascites
  • Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) \< 30 ml/min*
  • Platelet count \< 50,000/L*
  • Prior invasive malignancy (except non-melanomatous skin cancer) unless disease free for a minimum of 5 years
  • Ongoing medically significant active infection.
  • MRI incompatible devices
  • * Baseline laboratories results must be within the protocol range prior to sign informed consent. Repeat lab tests are permitted to evaluate eligibility during the Screening Period.
05

Study design

Phase
Phase 3
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
166 participants (estimated)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Proton radiotherapy

    Proton radiotherapy will be totally 66 cobalt gray equivalent (CGE) in 10 fractions and delivered once daily, 5 fractions per week, over 2 weeks for HCC more than 1 cm away from the alimentary tract.

    Radiation: Proton radiotherapy

  • Experimental
    Radiofrequency Ablation

    Multiple-electrode radiofrequency with switch-controller system (ME-SWC RFA) can create a large coagulation necrosis volume and successful treat HCC sized more than 3 cm, extending to 8.5 cm. ME-SWC RFA system uses up to 3 electrodes parallel insertion to inside of the tumors with an equilateral triangular confirmation before initiation of ablation. The distances between electrodes are about 1.5-2 cm, estimated by ultrasound measuring. The switching machine is set on the auto-mode, and all electrodes work alternately and switching each other automatically after impendence surge.

    Procedure: Radiofrequency Ablation

Interventions

  • RadiationProton radiotherapy
  • ProcedureRadiofrequency Ablation
06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Local control rate (treatment in-field control rate)

    Time frame: 3-year

Secondary outcomes

  1. Overall survival rate

    Time frame: 3-year

  2. Intrahepatic control rate

    Time frame: 3-year

  3. Distant metastasis free survival rate

    Time frame: 3-year

  4. Local control rate (treatment in-field control rate)

    Time frame: 5-year

  5. Overall survival rate

    Time frame: 5-year

  6. Intrahepatic control rate

    Time frame: 5-year

  7. Distant metastasis free survival rate

    Time frame: 5-year

  8. Number of participants with treatment-related adverse events as assessed by CTCAE v4.0

    Time frame: 3-year

  9. Patient report outcome - quality of life as assessed by the functional assessment of cancer therapy - hepatobiliary (FACT-Hep)

    The data will be collected 17 times from enrollment to the 36th month after treatment. Specific measurement points are: baseline, day 3, day 7, day 14, month 1, month 3, then every 3 months to the 36th month after treatment.

    Time frame: 3-year

  10. Patient report outcome - fatigue as assessed by the functional assessment of cancer therapy (FACT-F)

    The data will be collected 17 times from enrollment to the 36th month after treatment. Specific measurement points are: baseline, day 3, day 7, day 14, month 1, month 3, then every 3 months to the 36th month after treatment.

    Time frame: 3-year

  11. Patient report outcome - pain as assessed by the brief pain inventory-short form (BPI-SF)

    The data will be collected 17 times from enrollment to the 36th month after treatment. Specific measurement points are: baseline, day 3, day 7, day 14, month 1, month 3, then every 3 months to the 36th month after treatment.

    Time frame: 3-year

  12. Patient report outcome - symptom distress as assessed by the Memorial symptom assessment scale-short form (MSAS-SF)

    The data will be collected 17 times from enrollment to the 36th month after treatment. Specific measurement points are: baseline, day 3, day 7, day 14, month 1, month 3, then every 3 months to the 36th month after treatment.

    Time frame: 3-year

  13. Patient report outcome - treatment satisfaction as assessed by the functional assessment of chronic illness therapy-treatment satisfaction-general (FACIT-TS-G)

    The data will be collected 17 times from enrollment to the 36th month after treatment. Specific measurement points are: baseline, day 3, day 7, day 14, month 1, month 3, then every 3 months to the 36th month after treatment.

    Time frame: 3-year

  14. Patient report outcome - quality of life as assessed by the EQ-5D-3L

    The data will be collected 17 times from enrollment to the 36th month after treatment. Specific measurement points are: baseline, day 3, day 7, day 14, month 1, month 3, then every 3 months to the 36th month after treatment.

    Time frame: 3-year

07

Study locations

1 of 1 sites recruiting
  • Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou
    Taoyuan, 333, Taiwan
    Recruiting
08

References and documents

Publications

  • Kan Z, Zheng H, Liu X, Li S, Barber TD, Gong Z, Gao H, Hao K, Willard MD, Xu J, Hauptschein R, Rejto PA, Fernandez J, Wang G, Zhang Q, Wang B, Chen R, Wang J, Lee NP, Zhou W, Lin Z, Peng Z, Yi K, Chen S, Li L, Fan X, Yang J, Ye R, Ju J, Wang K, Estrella H, Deng S, Wei P, Qiu M, Wulur IH, Liu J, Ehsani ME, Zhang C, Loboda A, Sung WK, Aggarwal A, Poon RT, Fan ST, Wang J, Hardwick J, Reinhard C, Dai H, Li Y, Luk JM, Mao M. Whole-genome sequencing identifies recurrent mutations in hepatocellular carcinoma. Genome Res. 2013 Sep;23(9):1422-33. doi: 10.1101/gr.154492.113. Epub 2013 Jun 20. PubMed 23788652 ↗
  • Mizumoto M, Okumura T, Hashimoto T, Fukuda K, Oshiro Y, Fukumitsu N, Abei M, Kawaguchi A, Hayashi Y, Ookawa A, Hashii H, Kanemoto A, Moritake T, Tohno E, Tsuboi K, Sakae T, Sakurai H. Proton beam therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma: a comparison of three treatment protocols. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys. 2011 Nov 15;81(4):1039-45. doi: 10.1016/j.ijrobp.2010.07.015. Epub 2010 Oct 1. PubMed 20888707 ↗
  • Seror O, N'Kontchou G, Ibraheem M, Ajavon Y, Barrucand C, Ganne N, Coderc E, Trinchet JC, Beaugrand M, Sellier N. Large (>or=5.0-cm) HCCs: multipolar RF ablation with three internally cooled bipolar electrodes--initial experience in 26 patients. Radiology. 2008 Jul;248(1):288-96. doi: 10.1148/radiol.2481071101. Epub 2008 May 15. PubMed 18483229 ↗
  • Lee J, Lee JM, Yoon JH, Lee JY, Kim SH, Lee JE, Han JK, Choi BI. Percutaneous radiofrequency ablation with multiple electrodes for medium-sized hepatocellular carcinomas. Korean J Radiol. 2012 Jan-Feb;13(1):34-43. doi: 10.3348/kjr.2012.13.1.34. Epub 2011 Dec 23. PubMed 22247634 ↗
  • Lee JM, Han JK, Kim HC, Kim SH, Kim KW, Joo SM, Choi BI. Multiple-electrode radiofrequency ablation of in vivo porcine liver: comparative studies of consecutive monopolar, switching monopolar versus multipolar modes. Invest Radiol. 2007 Oct;42(10):676-83. doi: 10.1097/RLI.0b013e3180661aad. PubMed 17984764 ↗
09

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Mar 21, 2016, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT02640924
Lead sponsor
Chang Gung Memorial Hospital
Responsible party
Shi-Ming Lin (Director of Liver Research Unit, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital) — Principal investigator
First posted
Dec 29, 2015
Start date
Jan 2016
Primary completion
Dec 2018 (estimated)
Completion
Dec 2021 (estimated)
Last update
Mar 21, 2016

Study contacts

Bing-Shen Huang, MD
Contact
beanson.tw@gmail.com
+886-3-3281200 ext. 7000
Shi-Ming Lin, MD
study chair · Chang Gung Memorial Hospital

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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