Electric pulses may fight bile duct cancer without heat
NCT ID NCT07795619
First seen Aug 31, 2026 · Last updated Sep 01, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This trial tests whether a technique called irreversible electroporation (IRE) can help people with a type of bile duct cancer that cannot be removed by surgery. IRE uses high-voltage electric pulses to create tiny holes in tumor cell membranes, causing the cells to die without the heat used in other ablation methods. Researchers want to see if giving IRE after chemotherapy can control the tumor and improve survival. The study includes adults aged 18 to 75 whose cancer did not progress after three cycles of standard chemotherapy.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- irreversible electroporation (IRE) plus chemotherapy
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a way to control locally advanced bile duct cancer that cannot be removed by surgery, potentially extending survival.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-phase trial, so the benefits are uncertain. The procedure may cause gastrointestinal side effects, and it may not improve survival for everyone.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 60 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Apr 2026
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2027
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 to 75 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: \- Age 18-75 years, both sexes Histologically or cytologically confirmed locally advanced perihilar cholangiocarcinoma (Bismuth-Corlette type III/IV or equivalent) Non-progressive disease (PR or SD) after 3 cycles of standard induction chemotherapy MDT-confirmed unresectable disease after induction therapy No prior palliative systemic therapy At least one measurable lesion per RECIST 1.1 ECOG Performance Status 0-1 Adequate organ and marrow function: Hb ≥9.0 g/dL, ANC ≥1.5×10⁹/L, platelets ≥100×10⁹/L, TBIL ≤3×ULN, AST/ALT ≤5×ULN, serum creatinine ≤1.5×ULN or CrCl \>60 mL/min Life expectancy ≥3 months Willing to use contraception if of childbearing potential Written informed consent Exclusion Criteria: \- Refusal to receive systemic chemotherapy or possible surgery Metastasis to liver, peritoneum, lung, bone, brain, or other distant sites History of other malignancies (except cured basal cell carcinoma or cervical carcinoma in situ) Severe uncontrolled comorbidities (e.g., NYHA III/IV heart failure, unstable angina, uncontrolled arrhythmia, uncontrolled hypertension, active infection, uncontrolled diabetes, significant effusions, severe portal hypertension, gastric outlet obstruction, respiratory insufficiency) Major surgery within 30 days before screening EGFR monoclonal antibody or EGFR-TKI within 30 days before screening Allergy to any protocol-related drug or component Known HIV infection or chronic hepatitis B/C (active) Unresolved toxicity ≥CTCAE grade 2 from prior treatment (except anaemia, alopecia, skin pigmentation, or chemotherapy-induced neuropathy) Any condition judged by the investigator to make participation inappropriate
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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.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Tianjin Cancer Hospital Airport Hospital
RECRUITINGTianjin, Tianjin Municipality, 300308, China
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