New combo therapy for bile duct cancer enters safety trial
NCT ID NCT06274879
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This phase 2 trial is testing whether adding a procedure called radiofrequency ablation (bRFA) to standard chemotherapy and immunotherapy is safe for people with bile duct cancer that cannot be removed by surgery. About 36 participants will be randomly assigned to receive either standard care (stent placement plus drugs) or standard care plus bRFA. The study will track serious side effects and treatment disruptions over six months.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- radiofrequency ablation
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could show that adding radiofrequency ablation to standard treatment is safe, potentially offering a new way to control bile duct cancer.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-phase trial with only 36 participants, so results may not apply to everyone. The procedure carries risks like infection or bleeding.
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
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Phase 2
Tests whether the treatment actually works, and watches for side effects, in a larger group.
- Participants
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About 36 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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May 2026
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2030
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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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
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18 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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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 Hide 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. Male or female ≥18 years old. 2. Histologically or cytologically confirmed diagnosis of previously untreated and unresectable\*, locally advanced and/or metastatic extrahepatic biliary tract cholangiocarcinoma with obstructive jaundice (increased serum level of total bilirubin). 3. ECOG performance status 0 to 2. 4. Adequate bone marrow function: Neutrophil count ≥1.0 x 109/L, platelet count ≥100 x 109/L. 5. Adequate renal function in case of cisplatin administration: Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate (eGFR) ≥60mL/min/1.73m2. 6. Willing and able to provide written informed consent. 7. Planned initiation of any standard-of-care systemic anti-proliferative therapy against ETB. \*The reason for inoperability needs to be documented and categorized as follows: * Wish of patient. * Locally advanced or vascular invasion = surgically not removable. * Remnant liver is not sufficient. * Anatomic contraindications. * Distant metastasis. * Severe comorbidities. * Other reasons. Exclusion criteria <!-- --> 1. Solely intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma or mixed type liver tumors (cholangiocarcinoma with hepatocellular differentiation parts). 2. Multiple hepatic metastases with significant blockage of one or more liver segments and/or less than 50% of liver parenchyma potentially drainable on pre-intervention imaging. 3. In case of immune-checkpoint-inhibitor (ICI) administration, any autoimmune diseases including inflammatory disorders such as Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, Wegener granulomatosis, systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, Graves' disease. Exceptions: \- Hypothyroidism following Hashimoto thyroiditis stable on hormone replacement. \- Patients with vitiligo. \- Any chronic skin disorders that do not require systemic treatment. 4. Use of immunosuppressive medication within 3 weeks prior to ICI administration. Exceptions: \- Topical or inhaled steroids. * Systemic corticosteroids at physiologic doses not exceeding \>10mg/d of prednisone or equivalent. 5. Prior Self-Expandable Metal Stent (SEMS) placement in the biliary tree. 6. Biliary obstruction of non-tumoral etiology. 7. Platelets \<100 x 109/L or International Normalized Ratio (INR) \>1.5. 8. Secondary tumor. Exceptions: \- Tumor treated with curative intent without recurrence for more than 5 years. * Non-melanoma skin cancer treated carcinoma in situ without evidence of disease. 9. Pregnancy or lactation. 10. Known or suspected non-compliance, drug, or alcohol abuse. 11. Inability to follow the procedures of the study, e.g., due to language problems, psychological disorders, dementia, etc. of the candidate. 12. Participation in another interventional study within 30 days prior to enrollment. 13. Previous participation in the current study. 14. Other diseases like Human Immunodeficiency Virus, Liver cirrhosis Child-Pugh B or C, cardiac pacemaker, history of organ transplantation or condition likely to significantly decrease life expectancy i.e., life expectancy is less than 3 months according to investigator judgement.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
4 sites. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Hôpitaux Universitaires Genève
NOT_YET_RECRUITINGGeneva, 1205, Switzerland
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Inselspital Bern University Hospital
RECRUITINGBern, 3010, Switzerland
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Luzerner Kantonspital
NOT_YET_RECRUITINGLucerne, 6004, Switzerland
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Universitätsspital Zürich
NOT_YET_RECRUITINGZurich, 8091, Switzerland
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- Burning away bile duct blockages: a new weapon against cholangiocarcinoma?
- Which stent lasts longest? a Head-to-Head test for bile duct blockage
- Chemotherapy sprayed directly into the abdomen: a new attack on stubborn cancers
- Music may soothe pain at the genetic level after cancer surgery
- New drug combo tested for tough bile duct cancers
- Triple therapy shrinks bile duct tumors, may enable surgery