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Can turbocharged immune cells stop liver cancer from coming back?

NCT ID NCT02851784

Disease control Sponsor: Chinese PLA General Hospital Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

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Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now This study
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Sep 17, 2026 · Last updated Sep 18, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

Researchers are testing whether combining microwave ablation with infusions of a patient's own expanded immune cells helps people with small liver tumors. The trial enrolls adults with up to three tumors, each no larger than 5 cm, who are not eligible for surgery. After ablation, participants receive immune cells grown from their blood, and researchers track survival and cancer recurrence.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
expanded activated autologous lymphocytes (immune cells grown from the patient's own blood)
What this could lead to
If it works, this could offer a way to boost the body's immune response after microwave ablation and help people with small liver tumors live longer without the cancer returning.
What could go wrong
The trial is small and early, so results may not hold up in larger groups. Growing and infusing immune cells is complex, and the added benefit over ablation alone is uncertain.

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

Phase 2/3

Runs two stages together: whether the treatment works, then large-scale confirmation.

Participants

About 80 people

The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.

Started

Dec 2009

Expected to finish

Dec 2028

An estimate. End dates often move.

Lead sponsor

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

Children (under 18), adults (18 to 64) and older adults (65 and over)

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

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

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: 1. single HCC of 5 cm or smaller; 2. three or fewer multiple HCC with a maximum dimension of 3 cm or less; 3. absence of portal vein thrombosis or extrahepatic metastases; 4. Child-Pugh classification A or B; 5. tumor accessible via a percutaneous approach. white blood cell count \>2 x 109/L, platelet count \>40 x 109/L,serum creatinine \<110 μmol/L, aspartate aminotransferase \<3 times the upper limit, serum bilirubin \<2.5 times the upper limit, prothrombin time \<19 seconds. Exclusion Criteria: 1. pregnant or breast-feeding; psychiatric problems, addiction, or any other disorder that prevented informed consent; 2. active uncontrolled infection; concurrent systemic corticosteroid treatment; 3. systemic autoimmune disease; 4. clinically significant ischemic heart disease or cardiac failure; 5. and chemotherapy or radiotherapy within the preceding 6 months

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

hepatocellular carcinoma

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Hepatocellular carcinoma

How to take part

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  1. The places running it

    1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.

  2. The official record

    ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.

    Open the record ↗

  3. A doctor treating you

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Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Chinese PLA General Hospital

    RECRUITING

    Beijing, Beijing Municipality, 100853, China

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