Immune drug plus targeted chemo shows promise for liver cancer in early trial

NCT ID NCT03143270

Completed Disease control Sponsor: Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Aug 05, 2026 · Updated 3 times

Summary

This early-phase study tests whether combining the immune-boosting drug nivolumab with a procedure that delivers chemotherapy directly to liver tumors (called deb-TACE) is safe for people with advanced liver cancer. Twenty participants will receive the combination, and researchers will track side effects. The goal is to see if this approach can be used in future, larger studies.

What this could mean

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

Active substance: nivolumab (a drug that helps the immune system fight cancer) combined with drug-eluting bead transarterial chemoembolization (a procedure that delivers chemotherapy directly to the liver tumor and blocks its blood supply)
What this could lead to: If this combination proves safe, it could point toward a new treatment option for advanced liver cancer that is not removable by surgery.
What could go wrong: This is a very early, small pilot study with only 20 people, so results may not apply to everyone. The main goal is safety, not effectiveness, and side effects from the immune drug or the procedure could be serious.

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.

hepatocellular carcinoma liver cancer Liver Neoplasms

As listed by the trial registrant

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

LIVER CANCER

Contacts and locations

Locations

Abramson Cancer Center at University of Pennsylvania Medical Center

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19104-4283, United States
Memorial Sloan Kettering Bergen

Montvale, New Jersey, 07645, United States
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

New York, New York, 10065, United States
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Commack

Commack, New York, 11725, United States
Memorial Sloan Kettering Monmouth

Middletown, New Jersey, 07748, United States
Memorial Sloan Kettering Nassau

Uniondale, New York, 11553, United States
Memorial Sloan Kettering Westchester

Harrison, New York, 10604, United States
Memorial Sloan Kettering at Basking Ridge

Basking Ridge, New Jersey, 07920, United States
Washington University School of Medicine

St Louis, Missouri, 63110, United States

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