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AI-Enhanced ultrasound aims to catch liver cancer earlier

NCT ID NCT04409340

Diagnosis Sponsor: Centre hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CHUM) Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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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.
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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 Results may not be published yet.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)

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Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
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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This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.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 advanced ultrasound techniques combined with machine learning can improve the detection and characterization of liver cancer compared to standard ultrasound. The study enrolls 200 adults who have a focal liver lesion visible on ultrasound or are in a monitoring program. Participants undergo quantitative ultrasound and magnetic resonance viscoelastography to measure tissue stiffness and structure, with the goal of developing a more accurate, low-cost, non-invasive diagnostic approach.

What this could mean

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

Active substance
advanced quantitative ultrasound and magnetic resonance viscoelastography imaging
What this could lead to
If it works, this could give doctors a low-cost, non-invasive way to spot liver cancer earlier, when curative treatment is more likely to succeed.
What could go wrong
This is an early proof-of-concept study with 200 participants, so the imaging methods may not prove accurate enough for routine use. Results might not apply to all patients, especially those with fatty liver or obesity.

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.

Participants

About 200 people

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

Started

Oct 2020

Expected to finish

Dec 2027

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.

Who is studied

The investigators propose a cross-sectional prospective clinical study with two sequential cohorts: 1) a training cohort of 100 patients at risk for HCC to optimize QUS biomarkers for classification of solid liver lesions using MRI and/or biopsy as gold standard clinical references; and 2) a validation cohort of 100 patients to confirm diagnostic performance. The investigators will recruit patients seen at the hepatology clinic of the University of Montreal Hospital (CHUM).

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: * Are at least 18 years old at screening; * Able to comprehend and willingness to provide voluntary consent; * Are able to have a MRI; * Understand French or English; * Patients enrolled in a monitoring program or referred for the characterization of a focal liver lesion; * Focal liver lesion is visible during ultrasound screening in B-mode. Exclusion Criteria: * Are pregnant or trying to become pregnant; * Have a weight or girth preventing from entering the MR magnet bore; * Are unable to understand or unwilling to provide written informed consent for this study; * Have a contraindication to MRI (pacemaker, insurmountable claustrophobia); * Have chronic kidney disease preventing the injection of gadolinium-based contrast agent.

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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

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

  • Centre hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CHUM)

    RECRUITING

    Montreal, Quebec, H2X 0A9, Canada

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