ClinicalTrials.gg
RecruitingNCT03259867TATE-PD1Updated Apr 16, 2026

Combination of TATE and PD-1 Inhibitor in Liver Cancer

A Phase 2 interventional study of Nivolumab Injectable Product and Trans-arterial tirapazamine embolization in Hepatocellular Carcinoma and Gastric Cancer, sponsored by Teclison Ltd.. Recruiting at 3 sites in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 80 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-04-16.

Sponsored by Teclison Ltd. · Phase 2, Interventional, and Treatment

From the registry’s dates

  • Started Jul 2017; still recruiting 9 years 4 months later.
Phase
Phase 2
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
54
Allocation
Non-randomized
Ages
18 Years to 80 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

This is a multi-center, open-label phase IIA study that investigates the preliminary efficacy of Trans-arterial Tirapazamine Embolization (TATE) treatment of liver cancer followed by a PD-1 checkpoint inhibitor (nivolumab). Patients with two types of cancers will be enrolled, advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC),and metastatic gastric cancer. All enrolled patients need to have liver lesions and have progressed on a prior immune checkpoint inhibitor.

Read the detailed description

The goal of the study is to investigate whether tumor necrosis induced by Trans-arterial Tirapazamine Embolization (TATE) treatment can boost anti-tumor immunity and enhance the therapeutic efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitor. Patients with advanced liver cancers (primary HCC or metastatic gastric cancer) who have progressed on a prior immune checkpoint inhibitor will be enrolled in the study. Liver lesions will be treated with up to 4 TATE treatments for optimal debulking, which also serve as a vaccination process toward tumor. Lesion not treated with TATE will be used for monitoring the response toward a PD-1 inhibitor (Nivolumab) for abscopal effect. If a patient subsequently develops an "escape" to the PD-1 inhibitor, patient can have another 2 TATE treatments of the escaped tumor lesion. Dosing of the PD-1 inhibitor is per standard FDA-approved dosing schedule and continues until progressive disease. The efficacy will be assessed by the response rate (RR) using RECIST.

02

Conditions studied

  • Hepatocellular Carcinoma
  • Gastric Cancer

Keywords

  • Hepatocellular carcinoma
  • Immune checkpoint inhibitor
  • Gastric cancer
  • Progression
03

In context

Carcinoma, Hepatocellular

3,648 studies on the registry are indexed under Carcinoma, Hepatocellular; 1,061 are open to participants now.

This study's planned enrollment of 54 is close to the median of 54 across 2,618 interventional studies indexed under Carcinoma, Hepatocellular.

Browse Carcinoma, Hepatocellular studies →

Lead sponsor

Teclison Ltd. is the lead sponsor of 4 studies on the registry; 3 are open to participants now.

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

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years to 80 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Eligibility criteria

  1. Patients with a confirmed diagnosis of (1) advanced HCC or (2) gastric cancer.
  2. Patients between ages 18 and 80
  3. If HCC patients, they should have progressive disease (PD) on an immune therapy for advanced HCC. For patients with metastatic gastric cancer, they should have failed at least one and an .
  4. Patients with liver tumor lesions with at least one with a diameter of 2 cm or bigger, which is amendable for (super-)selective TATE as the target lesion.
  5. score 2 or less
  6. scores 5-7 for HCC patients
  7. All prior chemotherapy at least 4 weeks prior to study treatment. Immunotherapy not subject to this limitation.
  8. No major GI bleeding in the prior 2 months.

8. >=8, >= 50,000, Cr =\< 2, and ALT \< 10 X , t- \< 3, 9. Patients with a history of major disorders excluded.

Terms in these criteria, in plain language(11)

Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.

Metastases

Cancer that has spread from where it began to other parts of the body. “Metastatic” cancer is cancer that has spread this way.

Line of therapy

A line of therapy is one course of treatment, which may combine several drugs. First-line is the first course given; second-line follows when that stops working or is not tolerated.

“Two prior lines” means two courses that count separately under the study’s rules — not simply two drugs. Ask the study team if you are unsure how yours are counted.

PD-1, PD-L1 and checkpoint inhibitors

PD-1, PD-L1 and CTLA-4 are proteins that act as brakes on the immune system. Checkpoint inhibitors, such as pembrolizumab or nivolumab, block them so the immune system can attack a cancer.

PD-L1 can also be measured in a tumour sample. Some scores count stained tumour cells only (TPS); others also count certain immune cells (CPS). The study names the score and the minimum it uses.

ECOG performance status

A scale of how much an illness limits everyday activity. For people being assessed to join a study, scores run from 0 (fully active) to 4; lower is more active.

0
Fully active, no restrictions.
1
Limited in strenuous activity, but walking and able to do light work, such as housework or office work.
2
Walking and able to look after yourself, but unable to work; up and about more than half of waking hours.
3
Able to look after yourself only in part; in bed or a chair more than half of waking hours.
4
Unable to look after yourself at all; in bed or a chair all day.

Studies most often ask for 0–1 or 0–2. Your doctor gives the score; the WHO scale uses the same steps. The full scale also has 5, which records death.

Child-Pugh class

A score of how well the liver works in people with liver disease such as cirrhosis: class A is mild, B moderate and C severe.

Hemoglobin (Hb)

The protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen. A low level is anaemia, which can cause tiredness and breathlessness. Measured in g/dL or g/L (9 g/dL is 90 g/L).

Platelets

Blood cells that help blood clot. Too few raises the risk of bleeding and bruising. A usual adult range is about 150–400 × 10⁹/L (150,000–400,000 per µL); each lab has its own reference range.

ALT and AST (liver enzymes)

Two enzymes measured in a routine blood test of the liver. Higher levels can mean the liver is under strain or damaged. SGPT and SGOT are older names for ALT and AST.

Criteria usually give a limit as a multiple of the upper limit of normal (ULN), often higher when cancer has spread to the liver.

ULN (upper limit of normal)

The top of the normal range for a blood test, as set by the laboratory that runs it. Each lab prints its own range next to your result.

“≤ 2.5 × ULN” means the result can be up to two and a half times that top value.

Bilirubin

A yellow substance made when red blood cells are broken down, which the liver clears. A high level can mean a problem with the liver or the bile ducts.

Criteria often allow more for people with Gilbert’s syndrome, a harmless inherited condition that raises bilirubin.

Autoimmune disease

A condition in which the immune system attacks the body’s own tissues, such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, psoriasis, type 1 diabetes or inflammatory bowel disease.

Immunotherapy studies often leave out active autoimmune disease, and some name exceptions, such as thyroid disease on replacement hormone. Check the exceptions this study lists.

05

Study design

Phase
Phase 2
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Non-randomized
Intervention model
Single group
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
54 participants (estimated)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Advanced Hepatocellular carcinoma

    PD-1 inhibitor (Nivolumab 360 mg Q3W IV ) starts at day 1, and continues until progression. TATE treatment starts at day 8 for debulking up to 4 cycles. If escape lesion appears, two more TATE treatments can be given. Tirapazamine dose at 35 mg flat dose given before embolization.

    Drug: Nivolumab Injectable Product · Combination Product: Trans-arterial tirapazamine embolization

  • Experimental
    Metastatic Gastro-esophageal cancer

    PD-1 inhibitor (Nivolumab 360 mg Q3W IV) starts at day 1, and continues until progression. TATE treatment starts at day 8 for debulking up to 4 cycles. If escape lesion appears, two more TATE treatments can be given. Tirapazamine dose at 35 mg flat dose given before embolization.

    Drug: Nivolumab Injectable Product · Combination Product: Trans-arterial tirapazamine embolization

Interventions

  • a PD-1 immune check inhibitor

    Also known as: OPDIVO

  • Combination productTrans-arterial tirapazamine embolization

    Embolization with Lipiodol and Gelfoam

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Overall Response Rate

    Per RECIST 1.1 criteria

    Time frame: up to 24 months

Secondary outcomes

  1. Duration of Response

    From the date of image-demonstrated response to the date of progression

    Time frame: up to 24 months

  2. Time to Progression

    From randomization to disease progression or death

    Time frame: up to 24 months

  3. Progression Free Survival

    From randomization to disease progression or death

    Time frame: up to 24 months

  4. Overall survival

    From randomization to death

    Time frame: through study completion, an average of 3 years

07

Study locations

3 of 3 sites recruiting
08

References and documents

Publications

  • Liu CH, Peng CM, Hwang JI, Liang PC, Chen PJ, Abi-Jaoudeh N, Giiang LH, Tyan YS. Phase I Dose-Escalation Study of Tirapazamine Chemoembolization for Unresectable Early- and Intermediate-Stage Hepatocellular Carcinoma. J Vasc Interv Radiol. 2022 Aug;33(8):926-933.e1. doi: 10.1016/j.jvir.2022.04.031. Epub 2022 Apr 30. PubMed 35504436 ↗
  • Abi-Jaoudeh N, Dayyani F, Chen PJ, Fernando D, Fidelman N, Javan H, Liang PC, Hwang JI, Imagawa DK. Phase I Trial on Arterial Embolization with Hypoxia Activated Tirapazamine for Unresectable Hepatocellular Carcinoma. J Hepatocell Carcinoma. 2021 May 17;8:421-434. doi: 10.2147/JHC.S304275. eCollection 2021. PubMed 34041204 ↗

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No

09

Timeline

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
ElapsedEstimatedEstimated, not yet reachedSimilar studies: half by the dot; the band is the middle halfHalf of similar studies reached it by the dot; the band is the middle half, from a quarter to three quarters

Started Jul 2017 (actual). Primary completion is estimated for Dec 2026, 113 months after the start.

Of 80 industry-sponsored phase 2 interventional studies under Carcinoma, Hepatocellular, half reached primary completion within 38 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 23 and three quarters within 50. This study's planned 113 months is above that.

Counting every sponsor, half of 428 studies reached it within 43 months; a quarter within 30 and three quarters within 71.

How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.

Registered
Aug 16, 2017
First posted
Aug 24, 2017
StartActual
Jul 1, 2017
Primary completionEst.
Dec 30, 2026
CompletionEst.
Jun 30, 2027
Last update
Apr 16, 2026
What these dates mean
Start.
When the first participant enrolled; while estimated, when the study expects to open to recruitment.
Primary completion.
When the last participant was examined or treated to collect data for the study's main question, its primary outcome. A study that stopped early gives the date its data collection stopped.
Completion.
When the last participant's last visit took place, for every outcome, secondary ones and side effects included: the end of the study. Often later than primary completion, sometimes the same day.
Actual and Est.
Actual means the registry says the date has happened. Est. (estimated) is a date the sponsor plans or expects. It can still move, and the sponsor is expected to change it to actual once it has passed.
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Apr 16, 2026, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT03259867
Lead sponsor
Teclison Ltd.
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
Aug 24, 2017
Start date
Jul 1, 2017
Primary completion
Dec 30, 2026 (estimated)
Completion
Jun 30, 2027 (estimated)
Last update
Apr 16, 2026

Study contacts

Ray Lee, MD. PhD
Contact
ray.lee01@teclison.com
8043341076
Chiwei Lu, PhD.
Contact
chiwei.lu4@teclison.com
Nadine Abi-Jaoudeh, MD
principal investigator · UC Irvine Medical Center

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
Yes
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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