Can freezing tumors boost immunotherapy in hard-to-treat bile duct cancers?
NCT ID NCT07726446
First seen Jul 24, 2026 · Last updated Jul 24, 2026
Summary
This phase II trial is testing whether freezing tumors (cryoablation) before giving an experimental immunotherapy drug called rilafup α along with standard chemotherapy can help shrink or control advanced bile duct and gallbladder cancers. The study enrolls 30 people who have not had prior treatment for their unresectable, locally advanced or metastatic disease. Participants first receive cryoablation, then up to eight cycles of rilafup α plus chemotherapy, followed by maintenance rilafup α alone for up to one year. The main goal is to see how many patients respond to the treatment.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only — not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- a combination of cryoablation (freezing tumors), an experimental immunotherapy drug called rilafup α, and chemotherapy (gemcitabine plus cisplatin)
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this approach could offer a new first-line treatment option for people with advanced bile duct or gallbladder cancer who cannot have surgery.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-phase trial with only 30 participants and no comparison group, so results may not apply broadly. The combination therapy also carries risks of side effects from chemotherapy and immunotherapy.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
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Study contacts
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Contact
Phone: •••-•••-••••
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Contact
Phone: •••-•••-•••• Email: •••••@•••••
Locations
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Department of Radiation Oncology, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute & Hospital, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin's Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin, 300060, China
RECRUITINGTianjin, Tianjin Municipality, 300060, China
Contact Phone: •••-•••-••••
Contact Phone: •••-•••-•••• Email: •••••@•••••
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- Triple attack on bile duct cancer: chemo, targeted drug, and immunotherapy aim to make the inoperable operable
- Can two targeted drugs boost chemo against a rare Bile-Duct cancer?
- Liver tumors targeted directly: old pump, new drug
- Chemo, immunotherapy, and targeted radiation join forces against bile duct cancer
- Chemotherapy sprayed directly into the abdomen: a new attack on stubborn cancers
- New combo attack on untreatable liver cancer shows promise in early trial