Liver Cancer Clinical Trial Opportunities

Clinical trials for liver cancer are important research studies aimed at finding better ways to treat this disease.

These trials give patients a chance to try new options for Liver Cancer that are not widely available yet. They offer hope and may have fewer side effects. Joining a clinical trial can be a valuable opportunity to explore innovative approaches for liver cancer. Register for our matching service to find suitable liver cancer clinical trials for free.

Diagnosis: If your doctor has diagnosed you with liver cancer, specifically Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC). It can be either locally advanced (stage 3) or metastatic (stage 4).

Understanding your condition: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a type of liver cancer that starts in the liver cells. HCC accounts for about 85-90% of all liver cancer cases globally. It often develops in people with long-term liver diseases, especially those with cirrhosis.

Liver Cancer risk varies globally. The main risk factors are hepatitis B or C infections, heavy alcohol use, and smoking. It is characterized by the malignant growth of liver cells and can be asymptomatic in early stages, making early detection challenging. As a result, most clinical trials are focused on advanced HCC.

Advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) refers to the either Stage 3 locally advanced or stage 4 metastatic liver cancer (metastatic hepatocellular carcinoma):

Locally Advanced (Stage 3) Liver cancer occurs when tumors are large or have invaded major liver blood vessels. However, they have not yet spread to other parts of the body. Our system provides an opportunity to join a locally advanced liver cancer trial for potential options

Metastatic (Stage 4) liver cancer is the most advanced. At this stage, the cancer has spread to nearby lymph nodes or distant organs like the lungs or bones.Massive Bio will help you join different metastatic liver cancer trials, providing access to potential new options.

Early-Stage HCC (Stage 1 and Stage 2) has higher success rates due to effective options like surgery and local therapies. Early detection leads to better survival rates, but since many diagnoses occur at advanced stages, most clinical trials focus on these later stages where options are limited, aiming to increase stage 3 and stage 4 liver cancer survival rate.

The Child-Pugh score helps to assess the severity of chronic liver disease and cirrhosis. This information is crucial for determining the best option for liver cancer. It evaluates five factors: bilirubin, albumin, prothrombin time, ascites, and hepatic encephalopathy.

The score helps determine the patient’s prognosis, liver function, and suitability for options in HCC management. These five factors give the following staging:

Class A: Well-compensated disease
Class B: Significant functional compromise
Class C: Not compensated disease

Most clinical trials for HCC focus on patients with Child-Pugh A classification due to their well-compensated liver function, allowing for clearer assessment of new approaches, thereby enhancing the reliability of trial outcomes and the development of effective options.

Treated Liver cancer: Includes patients who have received prior treatments (Treatment naive Liver Cancer/Treatment naive Hepatocellular Carcinoma). This group looks at new ways to help people whose cancer has not responded well to standard treatments. Additionally, there are available trials that focus on untreated advanced Liver Cancer.

Untreated Liver Cancer includes people with liver cancer who have not begun treatment. This applies even if the cancer is advanced or has spread to other parts of the body. This is because researchers want to see how new treatments work from the beginning of care.

Clinical trials are available for people with liver cancer, whether they have received options or not. The goal of these trials is to create and evaluate new options for advanced liver cancer.

Surgery:

• Partial Hepatectomy: Usually for patients with early-stage HCC and preserved liver function. It’s the best option for tumors that can be removed, especially if the patient doesn’t have cirrhosis or has a mild form of liver disease (Child Pugh A)
• Liver Transplantation: Ideal for patients with early-stage HCC (single tumors ≤5 cm or up to 3 nodules each ≤3 cm) who also have cirrhosis or poor liver function. It offers a chance to cure both the cancer and the underlying liver disease.

Ablation Therapies:

• Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA): Involves the use of high-frequency electrical currents to generate heat, which destroys cancer cells. Suitable for patients with early-stage HCC and tumors smaller than 3 cm. An alternative for those who are not surgical candidates.

Embolization Therapies:

• Transarterial Chemoembolization (TACE): Combines chemotherapy with an embolic agent to block blood flow to the tumor.
• Transarterial Radioembolization (TARE): Uses radioactive beads (Yttrium-90) to deliver radiation directly to the tumor.

Systemic Therapies:

• Targeted Therapies: Involves drugs designed to specifically attack cancer cells by interfering with molecules involved in tumor growth and progression, thereby limiting damage to normal cells.
• Immunotherapy: Enhances the body’s immune system to recognize and destroy cancer cells.

Radiation Therapy:

• External Beam Radiation Therapy (EBRT): Is a non-invasive option that uses high-energy and high-precision radiation beams to target and destroy cancer cells. Often used in patients with localized disease who are not candidates for surgery or ablation.

Supportive Care focuses on managing symptoms and improving quality of life for patients with advanced HCC or those receiving palliative care. This includes pain management, nutritional support, and psychosocial care.

Resectable: Refers to liver cancer that can be surgically removed. Patients with resectable HCC typically have a single tumor or multiple tumors confined to one part of the liver, and their liver function is sufficiently good to tolerate surgery. These patients do not have major vascular invasion or extrahepatic spread (cancer that has spread outside the liver).

Unresectable: Refers to liver cancer that cannot be surgically removed. Most clinical trials for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) focus on unresectable cases due to the limited options and the need for effective approaches, providing an opportunity for patients to join these available trials.

Innovative Approach: Clinical trial therapies represent the forefront of medical science and technology, tailored specifically to treat various forms of liver cancer. These advanced options are designed for conditions like locally advanced and metastatic liver cancer.

Personalized Match: We recognize that every patient is unique. That’s why we focus on pairing you with a plan that aligns with your specific requirements and medical history.

Expert Guidance: Throughout your journey, our experienced team of medical professionals will be by your side, providing guidance, support, and answering any questions you may have regarding your liver cancer option.

By joining our matching program, you’re proactively exploring new possibilities and gaining access to an innovative approach that has the potential to change your life.

Cancer is an unfortunate reality that touches most of us at some point in our lives. If you or a loved one has cancer, you may have heard or read that clinical trials could offer access to innovative new options. But what exactly is a clinical trial?

Dr. Arturo Loaiza-Bonilla from Massive Bio explains how clinical trials function. He discusses the process of joining a clinical trial and the potential benefits for cancer patients.

We dream of the day when cancer disappears from our lives. Massive Bio is working tirelessly on achieving that goal.