New combo shrinks untouchable liver tumors, opens door to surgery
NCT ID NCT06187961
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jul 22, 2026 · Updated 2 times
Summary
This phase 2 trial tests whether a powerful mix of liver-directed chemotherapy, a targeted drug (lenvatinib), and an immunotherapy (cadonilimab) can shrink liver cancers that were too large or widespread to remove. The goal is to convert these inoperable tumors into ones that can be surgically removed or treated with transplant or ablation. The study enrolled 42 adults with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma and will measure how many become eligible for curative 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 chemotherapy infused into the liver artery, the targeted drug lenvatinib, and the immunotherapy cadonilimab
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this approach could allow more people with initially inoperable liver cancer to become candidates for surgery or transplant, potentially improving long-term survival.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-phase trial (42 people) with no control group, so results may not apply widely. The combination therapy can cause significant side effects, and not all participants will respond enough to become eligible for surgery.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Get updates
Get notified about this study
Sign up to get updates when this study changes or when new studies for HEPATOCELLULAR CARCINOMA NON-RESECTABLE are added.
By submitting, you agree to our Terms of use
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
Show contact details
Enter your email to view the contact information for this study.
By submitting, you agree to our Terms of use
Locations
-
Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology
Wuhan, Hubei, 430030, China
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- Chemo-loaded microspheres aim to starve liver tumors from within
- New combo therapy aims to stop liver cancer in its tracks
- New combo therapy aims to shrink liver tumors in Hard-to-Treat patients
- New combo therapy aims to boost immune attack on liver tumors
- Radioactive lipiodol takes aim at inoperable liver tumors
- New combo therapy aims to shrink untreatable liver tumors