Promising liver cancer combo trial halted early – only 4 patients enrolled
NCT ID NCT06332079
First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This phase 2 study tested a two-step treatment for colorectal cancer that had spread only to the liver and could not be removed by surgery. First, patients received radioactive beads (Holmium-166 TARE) directly into the liver, followed by maintenance chemotherapy and targeted drugs. The goal was to see how long the cancer stayed under control. However, the trial was terminated early after enrolling only 4 participants, so no firm conclusions can be drawn.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Holmium-166 TARE (a radioactive procedure targeting liver tumors), combined with chemotherapy (fluoropyrimidine) and targeted agents (cetuximab, panitumumab, or bevacizumab)
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this approach could offer a way to control liver tumors in colorectal cancer patients who cannot have surgery, potentially delaying disease progression.
- What could go wrong
- The trial was terminated early with only 4 participants, so results are very limited. The combination of radiation and chemotherapy carries risks of liver damage and other side effects.
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 2
Tests whether the treatment actually works, and watches for side effects, in a larger group.
- Participants
-
4 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
-
Mar 2024
- Finished
-
Dec 2025
- 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 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: * Written informed consent to study procedures; * Age ≥18 years; * Histologically proven diagnosis of colorectal adenocarcinoma, with or without primary tumour in situ; * Liver-only disease at radiological exams involving less than 50% of liver volume; * Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Performance Status (ECOG PS) ≤2; * Patients with partial response or stable disease according to RECIST 1.1 criteria deemed unresectable after 6-12 cycles of induction first-line chemotherapy; * Life expectancy of at least 12 weeks; * Hematopoietic function: absolute neutrophil count ≥ 1,500/mm3; platelet count ≥100,000/mm3; haemoglobin level ≥ 9 g/dL; * Liver function: total bilirubin ≤ 1.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN); alkaline phosphatase ≤ 5 times ULN; AST ≤ 5 times ULN; * Renal function: creatinine clearance \> 50 mL/min or serum creatinine 1.5 x UNL; no renal disease that would preclude study treatment or follow-up; * Women of childbearing potential must have a negative blood pregnancy test at the screening visit. For this trial, women of childbearing potential are defined as all women after puberty, unless they are postmenopausal for at least 12 months, are surgically sterile, or are sexually inactive. A postmenopausal state is defined as no menses for 12 months without an alternative medical cause. A high follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) level in the postmenopausal range may be used to confirm a post-menopausal state in women not using hormonal contraception or hormonal replacement therapy. However, in the absence of 12 months of amenorrhea, a single FSH measurement is insufficient; * Subjects and their partners must be willing to avoid pregnancy during the trial. Male subjects with female partners of childbearing potential and female subjects of childbearing potential must, therefore, be willing to use adequate contraception as outlined in Section 7.5 - Contraception, starting during study screening visit throughout the study period up to 180 days after the last dose of chemotherapy Note: Abstinence is acceptable if this is the usual lifestyle and preferred contraception for the subject; * Will and ability to comply with the protocol Inclusion criteria for Cohort A: * RAS/BRAF wild-type and left sided primary tumor * First-line induction chemotherapy regimen permitted up to 6-12 cycles with: FOLFOX or FOLFIRI + anti-EGFR (cetuximab or panitumumab). Patients who interrupted anti-EGFR target therapy during induction phase due to toxicity or other reasons, candidate to maintenance with fluoropyridine alone therapy can be enrolled. Inclusion criteria for Cohort B: * RAS mutated and/or right-sided primary tumor * First-line induction chemotherapy regimen admitted up to 6-12 cycles with: FOLFOX/FOLFIRI/XELOX + bevacizumab or FOLFOXIRI + bevacizumab. Patients who interrupted bevacizumab during induction phase due to toxicity or other reasons, candidate to maintenance with fluoropyridine alone therapy can be enrolled. Exclusion Criteria: * Patients with radiological evidence of extra liver distant metastases. * Evidence of ascites, cirrhosis, portal hypertension, main portal venous tumour involvement or thrombosis, or any other contraindications to radioembolization treatment; * Previous radiotherapy delivered to the liver; * Patients with BRAF mutated and/or MSI-high tumours; * Previous history of malignancy within the last 5 years will be excluded with the exception of localized basal and squamous cell carcinoma or cervical cancer in situ; * Treatment with any investigational drug within 30 days prior to enrolment or 2 investigational agent half-lives (whichever is longer); * Active uncontrolled infections or other clinically relevant concomitant illness contraindicating study procedures and treatment administration Clinically significant (e.g. active) cardiovascular disease for example cerebrovascular accidents (≤6 months), myocardial infarction (≤6 months), unstable angina, New York Heart Association (NYHA) grade II or greater congestive heart failure (CHF), serious cardiac arrhythmia requiring medication * Pregnant or lactating women. Women of childbearing potential with either a positive or no pregnancy test at baseline. Sexually active males and females (of childbearing potential) unwilling to practice contraception during the study and until 180 days after the last trial treatment; * History of a previous allergic reaction to contrast media that would preclude safe angiography of the hepatic arteries, in the opinion of the treating Interventional Radiologist; * Known hypersensitivity to fluoropyrimidine, anti-VEGF or anti-EGFR MoAb. * Psychiatric or addictive disorders, or other conditions that, in the opinion of the investigator, would preclude study participation; * Withdrawal of the consent to take part to the study
Get updates
Get notified about this study
Sign up to get updates when this study changes or when new studies for Colorectal adenocarcinoma are added.
Genom att skicka in godkänner du våra Användarvillkor
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.
Contacts and locations
Locations
-
Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria Pisana
Pisa, 56126, Italy
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- Experimental drug put to the test against Hard-to-Treat GI cancers
- Can berry compounds tame inflammation during colorectal cancer care?
- Can a vaccine stop GI cancers from returning?
- Blood test guides immunotherapy for hidden cancer cells
- Can blocking a cancer cell survival protein open a new path for colorectal cancer?
- Can blocking a DNA repair protein make immunotherapy work better against colorectal cancer?