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Not yet recruitingNCT07168668EXPECTUpdated Aug 6, 2026

Partial Immune-boost TACE in unrEseCTable HCC Patients Under Systemic Treatment

A Phase 2 interventional study of Transarterial chemoembolization and durvalumab and tremelimumab in HCC, Tace and Immunotherapy, sponsored by Chang Gung Memorial Hospital. Not yet recruiting. Open to participants aged 20 Years and older, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-08-06.

Sponsored by Chang Gung Memorial Hospital · Phase 2, Interventional, and Treatment

Phase
Phase 2
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
90
Allocation
Not applicable
Ages
20 Years and older
Sex
All
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Study summary

Study Objectives: Atezolizumab (anti-programmed death-ligand 1; anti-PD-L1) combined with bevacizumab (anti-vascular endothelial growth factor; anti-VEGF) or Durvalumab (anti-programmed death-ligand 1; anti-PD-L1) combined with tremelimumab (anti-cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4; anti-CTLA4) have recently been established as a standard first-line systemic treatment for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, its objective response rate (ORR) is only less than 27% (1, 2), and the majority of patients died of HCC progression and liver failure. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop a novel combination treatment strategy to overcome resistance to immunotherapy and improve patient outcomes.

Transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) remains the standard treatment for patients with intermediate-stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) (3, 4). However, in our previous retrospective study (5-7), the investigators consistently observed that this combination not only improves therapeutic responses but also significantly prolongs patient survival. The tumor necrosis caused by TACE may enhance the efficacy of systemic therapies by promoting the release of neoantigens, thereby stimulating immune responses (8-14). This concept has been substantiated in two recent trials involving intermediate-stage HCC (15, 16), where the addition of immune checkpoint inhibitors to TACE resulted in improved clinical outcomes. Nevertheless, this promising approach has yet to replace the decades-old standard treatment protocols, underscoring the need for further proof-of-concept studies.

Both immunotherapy (atezolizumab/bevacizumab or durvalumab/tremelimumab) and transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) are approved treatment modalities for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) by the U.S. and Taiwan Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This phase II non-randomized trial is designed to prospectively evaluate the therapeutic efficacy, safety, and immunological responses in patients with unresectable HCC treated with a combination of immunotherapy and TACE. A particular focus of this study is to explore the potential immune-boosting effects of TACE, including its ability to enhance antigen presentation and stimulate anti-tumor immune responses.

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Conditions studied

  • HCC
  • Tace
  • Immunotherapy

Keywords

  • hepatocelluar carcinoma
  • transarterial chemoembolization
  • immunotherapy
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In context

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.

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Who can participate

Ages eligible
20 Years and older
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
Yes

Inclusion criteria

  1. Participants must have diagnosis of HCC that is deemed unsuitable for surgical resection or transplant. Participants may have multiple lesions with a total maximal tumor dimension of \< 20 cm, and no one lesion > 15 cm. Diagnosis should be confirmed by at least 1 criterion listed below:

    Histologically or cytologically proven diagnosis of HCC. Typical arterial enhancement and delayed washout on multiphasic CT or MRI.

  2. Age ≥18 years at the time of signing informed consent document.
  3. ECOG performance status 0-1.
  4. Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) stages B or C.
  5. Child-Pugh score 5-6 liver function within 28 days of study registration.
  6. Documented virology status of hepatitis B virus (HBV), as confirmed by screening HBV serology test.
  7. Documented virology status of hepatitis C virus (HCV), as confirmed by screening HCV serology test.
  8. Ability to understand and the willingness to sign a written informed consent document
  9. Adequate bone marrow, liver, and renal function within 4 weeks before study registration

    • Hemoglobin ≥ 9.0 g/dL
    • Absolute neutrophil count (ANC) ≥ 1,000/mm3
    • Platelet count ≥ 50,000/μL
    • Total bilirubin \< 2.5 mg/dL
    • Serum albumin >2.8 g/dL
    • Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) ≤ 3 × upper limit of normal (ULN)
    • Prothrombin time ≤ 6 seconds prolonged
    • Serum creatinine ≤ 1.5 mg/dL

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Prior invasive malignancy unless disease free for a minimum of 2 years
  2. Prior radiotherapy to the region of the liver that would result in overlap of embolization fields
  3. Prior selective internal radiotherapy/hepatic arterial yttrium therapy, at any time
  4. Untreated active hepatitis B or hepatitis C
  5. Moderate to severe or intractable ascites
  6. Untreated or incomplete treated esophageal or gastric varices
  7. Severe, active co-morbidity, defined as follows:

    • Unstable angina and/or congestive heart failure requiring hospitalization within the last 6 months prior to registration
    • Myocardial infarction within the last 6 months prior to study entry
    • Acute bacterial or fungal infection requiring intravenous antibiotics within 28 days prior to study entry
    • A bleeding episode within 6 months prior to study entry due to any cause. o Thrombolytic therapy within 28 days prior to study entry.
    • Known bleeding or clotting disorder.
    • Uncontrolled psychotic disorder
  8. Pregnancy or women of childbearing potential and men who are sexually active and not willing/able to use medically acceptable forms of contraception
  9. Prior solid organ transplantation.
  10. Prior or active autoimmune disease (AID) including autoimmune hepatitis, inflammatory bowel disease, myasthenia gravis, systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, antiphospholipid antibody syndrome, Wegener granulomatosis, Sjogren's syndrome, Guillain-Barre syndrome, and multiple sclerosis.
  11. Prior or active thrombotic or bleeding disorders, hemoptysis, cerebral vascular accident, significant cardiac disease (ischemic or congestive heart failure), or gastrointestinal perforation.
  12. Known HIV infection.
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Study design

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

Study arms

  • Experimental
    partial TACE with systemic treatment

    partial TACE

    Procedure: Transarterial chemoembolization · Drug: durvalumab and tremelimumab

Interventions

  • ProcedureTransarterial chemoembolization

    1. Targeting 1-3 prognostically relevant tumor nodules. 2. Administration of anti-cancer drugs (doxorubicin 20 mg in each section of TACE). 3. Embolization with Drug-Eluting Beads (doxorubicin 20 mg loaded Hepasphere 20 mg of TACE) 4. Embolization was done when there was a slight decrease in blood flow for each tumor feeder.

  • Drugdurvalumab and tremelimumab

    Combine TACE with immunotherapy

    Also known as: Atezolizumab & Bevacizumab

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What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. PFS

    PFS 12 month

    Time frame: From enrollment to the end of treatment at 12 months

Secondary outcomes

  1. ORR

    Best ORR

    Time frame: 12 months

  2. OS

    OS 3 years

    Time frame: OS 3 years

  3. DOR

    Duration of response

    Time frame: Up to 3 years

  4. The function of innate CD8+ T cells

    Evaluate innate-like CD8⁺ T-cell function using participants' peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs).

    Time frame: Up to 3 years

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Study locations

No study locations are listed for this record.

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References and documents

Individual participant data

Plan to share: Undecided

No publications or documents are linked to this record.

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Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Aug 6, 2026, 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
NCT07168668
Lead sponsor
Chang Gung Memorial Hospital
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
Sep 11, 2025
Start date
Sep 15, 2026 (estimated)
Primary completion
Aug 14, 2029 (estimated)
Completion
Aug 14, 2029 (estimated)
Last update
Aug 6, 2026

Study contacts

Po Ting Lin, MD
Contact
linpoting0101@gmail.com
+886975362702

Oversight

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

Not currently enrolling

This study is not yet recruiting, as verified in Aug 2025. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

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