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Can a custom vaccine train the body to fight liver cancer?

NCT ID NCT03674073

Cure Sponsor: Chinese PLA General Hospital Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now
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 This study
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 Results may not be published yet.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This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.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 Aug 27, 2026 · Last updated Aug 28, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This phase 1 trial tests whether a personalized vaccine made from a patient's own immune cells can safely boost the body's defenses against liver cancer. People with early-stage hepatocellular carcinoma receive either microwave ablation alone or ablation followed by seven doses of the vaccine. Researchers measure safety, immune response, and survival at two years to see if the vaccine adds benefit.

What this could mean

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

Active substance
Personalized neoantigen-based dendritic cell vaccine
What this could lead to
If this works, it could point toward a way to train the immune system to attack liver cancer cells after microwave ablation, potentially reducing the chance of the cancer coming back.
What could go wrong
This is an early, small phase 1 trial focused on safety and immune response, not proof of effectiveness. The vaccine may not generate a strong immune response or improve survival, and side effects are possible.

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 1

The first testing in people. Mainly checks safety and dose, usually in a small group.

Participants

24 people

The number who actually took part.

Started

Oct 2018

Finished

Jul 2023

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

18 years and older

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. Histologically confirmed patients with primary hepatocellular carcinoma, HKLC Stage IIa. 2. Age is greater than 18 years old, male or female. 3. The tumor size is 3cm-5cm, and the lesions are \<3. 4. ECOG score \< 2, Child-Pugh classification A or B. 5. The participants freely sign informed consent; Exclusion Criteria: 1. Pregnant or breast-feeding; psychiatric problems, addiction, or any other disorder that prevented informed consent; 2. Portal vein thrombosis or extrahepatic metastases; 3. White blood cell count \<2 x 10e9/L, platelet count \<40 x 10e9/L, serum creatinine \>110 mol/L, aspartate aminotransferase \>3 times upper limit, serum bilirubin \> 2.5 times upper limit, prothrombin time\> 19 seconds. 4. Active uncontrolled infection; 5. Concurrent systemic corticosteroid treatment 6. Primary immunodeficiency or systemic autoimmune disease; being treated with immunosuppressive drugs for other diseases; 7. Clinically significant ischemic heart disease or cardiac failure; 8. The investigator believes that there are other reasons that are not suitable for inclusion.

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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.

Hepatocellular carcinoma Liver cancer, adult

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Chinese PLA General Hospital

    Beijing, Beijing Municipality, 100853, China

More trials for these conditions

Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.