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TerminatedNCT05027425Updated May 6, 2026Results posted

Durvalumab (MEDI4736) and Tremelimumab for Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Patients Listed for a Liver Transplant

A Phase 2 interventional study of Durvalumab and Tremelimumab in Hepatocellular Carcinoma, Cirrhosis and Portal Hypertension, sponsored by University of Cincinnati. Terminated at 3 sites in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-05-06.

Sponsored by University of Cincinnati · Phase 2, Interventional, and Treatment

Why this study was terminated
The study is closing due to low enrollment and feasibility of the study.
Phase
Phase 2
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
8
Allocation
Not applicable
Ages
18 Years and older
Sex
All
01

Study summary

Immunotherapy can safely downstage patients and achieve durable systemic disease control to improve clinical outcomes in HCC patients undergoing liver transplant.

Read the detailed description

ESR-20-21010 is a single-arm, open-label, Phase II, multicenter clinical trial designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of durvalumab and tremelimumab for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients who have cirrhosis or portal hypertension and are evaluated by institutional Liver Transplant team and deemed eligible for transplant.

The key eligibility requirements include HCC, Child-Pugh score of up to 7, and ECOG PS of 0 or 1.

Patients will be treated with the immunotherapy combination for up to 4 months. After a minimum 28 day washout, they will undergo locoregional therapy per institutional standards. Eventually, after a minimum 72-day washout from the end of immunotherapy, they will undergo liver transplant.

The primary endpoint is proportion of patients experiencing post-transplant rejection (within 30 days of transplant). A total of 30 patients are to be enrolled, to allow at least 20 transplants for adequate primary endpoint analysis. An interim analysis after 10 patients will be performed to ensure safety. If there are untoward safety signals, study modification/discontinuation will be discussed.

02

Conditions studied

  • Hepatocellular Carcinoma
  • Cirrhosis
  • Portal Hypertension

Keywords

  • Transplant
03

In context

Carcinoma, Hepatocellular

3,182 studies on the registry are indexed under Carcinoma, Hepatocellular; 954 are open to participants now.

This study's enrollment of 8 is below the median of 55 across 2,298 interventional studies indexed under Carcinoma, Hepatocellular.

Browse Carcinoma, Hepatocellular studies →

Lead sponsor

University of Cincinnati is the lead sponsor of 314 studies on the registry; 43 are open to participants now.

Of its 22 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 15 (68%) have results posted.

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

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years and older
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

  1. Hepatocellular carcinoma, diagnosed either by biopsy or by combination of cirrhosis and imaging criteria (contrast-enhanced CT or MRI).
  2. Tumor confined to liver with no vascular invasion and no evidence of extrahepatic disease.
  3. Patient evaluated by institutional Liver Transplant team and listed for transplant.
  4. At least 1 lesion, not previously irradiated, that qualifies as a RECIST 1.1 target lesion (TL) at baseline. Tumor assessment by computed tomography (CT) scan or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) must be performed within 28 days prior to randomization.
  5. No prior therapy for HCC at any time.
  6. Age ≥18 years at the time of study entry.
  7. ECOG score of 0 or 1
  8. Child-Pugh Score of 5, 6, or 7
  9. Body weight >30 kg
  10. Patients must have adequate organ and marrow function as defined in protocol
  11. Capable of giving signed informed consent which includes compliance with the requirements and restrictions listed in the informed consent form (ICF) and in this protocol.
  12. Patient is willing and able to comply with the protocol for the duration of the study including undergoing treatment and scheduled visits and examinations including follow up.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Extrahepatic disease.
  2. Variceal bleeding during 3 months prior to registration.
  3. Any autoimmune disease deemed a risk in the setting of immunotherapy per treating physician's judgment.
  4. Any other illness or patient condition deemed a medical or logistical barrier for protocol therapy per treating physician's judgment.
  5. Concurrent enrollment in another clinical study, unless it is an observational (non-interventional) clinical study or during the follow-up period of an interventional study
  6. Participation in another clinical study with an investigational product during the last 12 months Patients who have received other investigational agents previously who are no longer receiving these investigational agents may be eligible at the discretion of the PI.
  7. Major surgical procedure (as defined by the Investigator) within 28 days prior to the first dose of IP. Note: Local surgery of isolated lesions for palliative intent is acceptable.
  8. History of allogenic organ transplantation.
  9. History of another primary malignancy except for:

    1. Malignancy treated with curative intent and with no known active disease ≥5 years before the first dose of IP and of low potential risk for recurrence
    2. Adequately treated non-melanoma skin cancer or lentigo maligna without evidence of disease
    3. Adequately treated carcinoma in situ without evidence of disease
  10. Active or prior documented autoimmune or inflammatory disorders (including inflammatory bowel disease [e.g., colitis or Crohn's disease], diverticulitis [with the exception of diverticulosis], systemic lupus erythematosus, Sarcoidosis syndrome, or Wegener syndrome [granulomatosis with polyangiitis, Graves' disease, rheumatoid arthritis, hypophysitis, uveitis, etc.]). The following are exceptions to this criterion:

    1. Patients with vitiligo or alopecia
    2. Patients with hypothyroidism (e.g., following Hashimoto syndrome) stable on hormone replacement
    3. Any chronic skin condition that does not require systemic therapy
    4. Patients without active disease in the last 5 years may be included but only after consultation with the study physician
    5. Patients with celiac disease controlled by diet alone
  11. Uncontrolled intercurrent illness, including but not limited to, ongoing or active infection, symptomatic congestive heart failure, uncontrolled hypertension, unstable angina pectoris, cardiac arrhythmia, interstitial lung disease, serious chronic gastrointestinal conditions associated with diarrhea, or psychiatric illness/social situations that would limit compliance with study requirement, substantially increase risk of incurring AEs or compromise the ability of the patient to give written informed consent
  12. History of leptomeningeal carcinomatosis
  13. History of active primary immunodeficiency
  14. Active infection including tuberculosis (clinical evaluation that includes clinical history, physical examination and radiographic findings, and TB testing in line with local practice), hepatitis B (known positive HBV surface antigen (HBsAg) result), hepatitis C, Patients with a past or resolved HBV infection (defined as the presence of hepatitis B core antibody [anti-HBc] and absence of HBsAg) are eligible. Patients positive for hepatitis C (HCV) antibody are eligible only if polymerase chain reaction is negative for HCV RNA.
  15. Current or prior use of immunosuppressive medication within 14 days before the first dose of durvalumab or tremelimumab. The following are exceptions to this criterion:

    1. Intranasal, inhaled, topical steroids, or local steroid injections (e.g., intra articular injection)
    2. Systemic corticosteroids at physiologic doses not to exceed 10 mg/day of prednisone or its equivalent
    3. Steroids as premedication for hypersensitivity reactions (e.g., CT scan premedication)
  16. Receipt of live attenuated vaccine within 30 days prior to the first dose of IP. Note: Patients, if enrolled, should not receive live vaccine while receiving IP and up to 30 days after the last dose of IP.
  17. Female patients who are pregnant or breastfeeding or male or female patients of reproductive potential who are not willing to employ effective birth control from screening to 180 days after the last dose of durvalumab + tremelimumab combination therapy.
  18. Known allergy or hypersensitivity to any of the study drugs or any of the study drug excipients.
  19. Prior randomization or treatment in a previous durvalumab and/or tremelimumab clinical study regardless of treatment arm assignment.
  20. Judgment by the investigator that the patient is unsuitable to participate in the study and the patient is unlikely to comply with study procedures, restrictions and requirements.
05

Study design

Phase
Phase 2
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Not applicable
Intervention model
Single group
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
8 participants (actual)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Durvalumab + Tremelimumab + Liver Transplant

    Patients will be treated with the immunotherapy combination for up to 4 months. After a minimum 28 day washout, they will undergo locoregional therapy per institutional standards. Eventually, after a minimum 72-day washout from the end of immunotherapy, they will undergo liver transplant.

    Drug: Durvalumab · Drug: Tremelimumab · Procedure: Liver Transplant

Interventions

  • DrugDurvalumab

    1500 mg IV, Q4W

    Also known as: MEDI4736

  • DrugTremelimumab

    300 mg IV, 1 dose on day 1 of only the first cycle

  • ProcedureLiver Transplant

    minimum 72-day washout from the end of immunotherapy, patients will undergo liver transplant.

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Cellular Rejection Rates

    To assess the safety of immunotherapy for treatment of HCC in patients listed for a liver transplant, with respect to cellular rejection rates

    Time frame: Up to 30 days post transplant. The average time from consent to transplant was 11.88 months.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Adverse Events During Treatment

    To assess the safety of immunotherapy for treatment of HCC in patients who have received a transplant, with respect to adverse events during treatment.

    Time frame: Adverse events will be collected from study drug initiation until 90 days after the last durvalumab+tremelimumab dose or before new anti-cancer therapy, whichever comes first, up to 7 months.

  2. Radiologic Responses Via RECIST 1.1 and/or mRECIST

    To assess the efficacy of immunotherapy for treatment of HCC in patients listed for a liver transplant, with respect to radiologic responses. This will be be defined the number of individuals that had complete response, partial response, or stable disease. Progressive disease will not be included. Per Response Evaluation Criteria In Solid Tumors Criteria (RECIST v1.0) for target lesions and assessed by MRI: Complete Response (CR), Disappearance of all target lesions; Partial Response (PR), \>=30% decrease in the sum of the longest diameter of target lesions; Overall Response (OR) = CR + PR.

    Time frame: Timeframe includes 4 months of I/0 treatment. Radiologic responses were measured after the I/O treatment phase of the study

  3. Pathologic Responses Via Explanted Liver Assessment

    To assess the efficacy of immunotherapy for treatment of HCC in patients listed for a liver transplant, with respect to Pathologic responses. However, due to the feasibility of the trial, we were not able to collect data for this outcome.

    Time frame: Timeframe includes the 30 day window after a transplant.

  4. Recurrence-free Survival and Overall Survival Outcomes Based on Survival Follow up Reporting

    To assess the efficacy of immunotherapy for treatment of HCC in patients listed for a liver transplant, with respect to Survival outcomes. However, due to the feasibility of the trial, we were not able to collect data for this outcome.

    Time frame: Survival follow up will continue for 5 years after end of Treatment

  5. Graft Loss

    To assess the safety of immunotherapy for treatment of HCC in patients listed for a liver transplant, with respect graft loss

    Time frame: Day 72 post completion of immunotherapy, approximately 6.5 months

  6. Mortality

    To assess the safety of immunotherapy for treatment of HCC in patients listed for a liver transplant, with respect to mortality rates up to 30 days after transplant

    Time frame: Day 72 post completion of immunotherapy, approximately 7.5 months.

07

Results

Posted May 6, 2026

Participant flow

Prior to Liver Transplant
Participant flow — Prior to Liver Transplant
MilestoneDurvalumab + Tremelimumab + Liver Transplant
Started8
Completed5
Not completed3
Received Transplant
Participant flow — Received Transplant
MilestoneDurvalumab + Tremelimumab + Liver Transplant
Started5
Completed5
Not completed0

Outcome measures

PrimaryCellular Rejection Rates

To assess the safety of immunotherapy for treatment of HCC in patients listed for a liver transplant, with respect to cellular rejection rates

Time frame:
Up to 30 days post transplant. The average time from consent to transplant was 11.88 months.
Reported as:
Count of participants · Participants
Cellular Rejection Rates
ParticipantsParticipants That Received a Liver Transplant
Cellular Rejection Rates0
SecondaryAdverse Events During Treatment

To assess the safety of immunotherapy for treatment of HCC in patients who have received a transplant, with respect to adverse events during treatment.

Time frame:
Adverse events will be collected from study drug initiation until 90 days after the last durvalumab+tremelimumab dose or before new anti-cancer therapy, whichever comes first, up to 7 months.
Reported as:
Count of participants · Participants
Adverse Events During Treatment
ParticipantsParticipants That Actually Received a Liver Transplant
Adverse Events During Treatment5
SecondaryRadiologic Responses Via RECIST 1.1 and/or mRECIST

To assess the efficacy of immunotherapy for treatment of HCC in patients listed for a liver transplant, with respect to radiologic responses. This will be be defined the number of individuals that had complete response, partial response, or stable disease. Progressive disease will not be included. Per Response Evaluation Criteria In Solid Tumors Criteria (RECIST v1.0) for target lesions and assessed by MRI: Complete Response (CR), Disappearance of all target lesions; Partial Response (PR), \>=30% decrease in the sum of the longest diameter of target lesions; Overall Response (OR) = CR + PR.

Time frame:
Timeframe includes 4 months of I/0 treatment. Radiologic responses were measured after the I/O treatment phase of the study
Reported as:
Count of participants · Participants
Radiologic Responses Via RECIST 1.1 and/or mRECIST
ParticipantsParticipants That Received a Liver Transplant
Radiologic Responses Via RECIST 1.1 and/or mRECIST8
SecondaryPathologic Responses Via Explanted Liver Assessment

To assess the efficacy of immunotherapy for treatment of HCC in patients listed for a liver transplant, with respect to Pathologic responses. However, due to the feasibility of the trial, we were not able to collect data for this outcome.

Time frame:
Timeframe includes the 30 day window after a transplant.
Reported as:
Count of participants · Participants

No measurements were reported for this outcome.

SecondaryRecurrence-free Survival and Overall Survival Outcomes Based on Survival Follow up Reporting

To assess the efficacy of immunotherapy for treatment of HCC in patients listed for a liver transplant, with respect to Survival outcomes. However, due to the feasibility of the trial, we were not able to collect data for this outcome.

Time frame:
Survival follow up will continue for 5 years after end of Treatment
Reported as:
Count of participants · Participants
Recurrence-free Survival and Overall Survival Outcomes Based on Survival Follow up Reporting
ParticipantsParticipants That Received a Liver Transplant
Recurrence-free Survival and Overall Survival Outcomes Based on Survival Follow up Reporting0
SecondaryGraft Loss

To assess the safety of immunotherapy for treatment of HCC in patients listed for a liver transplant, with respect graft loss

Time frame:
Day 72 post completion of immunotherapy, approximately 6.5 months
Reported as:
Count of participants · Participants
Graft Loss
ParticipantsParticipants That Received a Liver Transplant
Graft Loss0
SecondaryMortality

To assess the safety of immunotherapy for treatment of HCC in patients listed for a liver transplant, with respect to mortality rates up to 30 days after transplant

Time frame:
Day 72 post completion of immunotherapy, approximately 7.5 months.
Reported as:
Count of participants · Participants
Mortality
ParticipantsParticipants That Received a Liver Transplant
Mortality0

Adverse events

Collected over Deaths, Serious Adverse Events (SAEs) and Adverse Events will be collected from the initiation of study drug and for 90 days after the last dose of durvalumab+tremelimumab or before initiation of a new anti-cancer therapy. Non-serious events are listed at a 0% frequency threshold.

Adverse event summary by group
GroupDeathsSeriousOther
Durvalumab + Tremelimumab + Liver Transplant1/8 (12.5%)5/8 (62.5%)8/8 (100%)
Most frequent serious events
Most frequent serious events
EventDurvalumab + Tremelimumab + Liver Transplant
Alanine aminotransferase increasedInvestigations1/8
Aspartate aminotransferase increasedInvestigations1/8
ColitisGastrointestinal disorders1/8
DehydrationMetabolism and nutrition disorders1/8
Ductal carcinoma in-situNeoplasms benign, malignant and unspecified (incl cysts and polyps)1/8
Pan colitisGastrointestinal disorders1/8
Hepatic artery thrombosisHepatobiliary disorders1/8
Lung infectionInfections and infestations1/8
Most frequent other events
Showing 10 of 64
Most frequent other events
EventDurvalumab + Tremelimumab + Liver Transplant
FatigueGeneral disorders6/8
Abdominal painGastrointestinal disorders5/8
DiarrheaGastrointestinal disorders5/8
FeverGeneral disorders4/8
NauseaGastrointestinal disorders4/8
Weight lossInvestigations4/8
ConstipationGastrointestinal disorders3/8
Lipase increasedInvestigations3/8
MyalgiaMusculoskeletal and connective tissue disorders3/8
VomitingGastrointestinal disorders3/8

Baseline characteristics

Eight subjects were enroll but only four met the liver transplant part of the protocol.

Age, Categorical
Age, Categorical(Participants)Durvalumab + Tremelimumab + Liver Transplant
<=18 years0
Between 18 and 65 years3
>=65 years5
Age, Continuous
Age, Continuous(years)Durvalumab + Tremelimumab + Liver Transplant
Median68 (50 to 74)
Sex: Female, Male
Sex: Female, Male(Participants)Durvalumab + Tremelimumab + Liver Transplant
Female3
Male5
Race (NIH/OMB)
Race (NIH/OMB)(Participants)Durvalumab + Tremelimumab + Liver Transplant
American Indian or Alaska Native0
Asian0
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander0
Black or African American1
White7
More than one race0
Unknown or Not Reported0
Region of Enrollment
Region of Enrollment(participants)Durvalumab + Tremelimumab + Liver Transplant
United States8
08

Study locations

3 sites
  • Washington University School of Medicine
    St Louis, Missouri 63130, United States
  • University of Cincinnati
    Cincinnati, Ohio 45267, United States
  • Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center UT Southwestern Medical Center
    Dallas, Texas 75235, United States
09

References and documents

Study documents

  • Protocol and statistical analysis plan · Apr 9, 2024

Documents are hosted by the registry — open the source record to download them.

Individual participant data

Plan to share: Undecided

10

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on May 6, 2026, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
11

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT05027425
Lead sponsor
University of Cincinnati
Responsible party
Davendra Sohal (MD, University of Cincinnati) — Principal investigator
First posted
Aug 30, 2021
Start date
Dec 7, 2021
Primary completion
Nov 7, 2024
Completion
Nov 7, 2024
Results posted
May 6, 2026
Last update
May 6, 2026

Study contacts

Davendra Sohal, MD
principal investigator · University of Cincinnati

Oversight

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

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