Diabetes drug januvia tested to boost immune attack on liver cancer

NCT ID NCT02650427

First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Jun 26, 2026

Summary

This pilot study tested the safety of giving sitagliptin (Januvia) for three weeks to 14 liver cancer patients before they had surgery to remove their tumors. The idea is that sitagliptin might help immune cells get into the tumor and fight it better. The main goal was to check for side effects, not to see if the drug shrinks tumors.

What this could mean

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

Active substance

sitagliptin (Januvia)

What this could lead to

If it works, this could point toward a way to boost the immune system's ability to fight liver cancer after surgery.

What could go wrong

This is a very early, small Phase 1 safety study with only 14 people. It is not designed to prove the drug works against cancer, and side effects are possible.

Disclaimer Read more

This is a summary of the original study . Summaries may miss details or leave out important information. Before applying or accepting participation, make sure you have read and understood the full study. Curemydisease.com takes no responsibility whatsoever for anything missed, misunderstood, or acted upon as a result of our summary — we know it does not capture everything.

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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.

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital

    Paris, 75013, France