Two-Drug cocktail shows promise against tough liver cancer
NCT ID NCT03211416
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tested a combination of two drugs—sorafenib (a targeted therapy) and pembrolizumab (an immunotherapy)—in 37 people with advanced liver cancer that had spread. The goal was to see if the combo could shrink tumors and help people live longer. The trial was early-stage, so results are promising but not yet proven for widespread use.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- sorafenib and pembrolizumab (a targeted therapy and an immunotherapy drug combination)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this combination could offer a new treatment option for advanced liver cancer, potentially shrinking tumors and extending survival.
- What could go wrong
- This was a small, early-phase trial (37 people), so results may not apply to everyone. Side effects from the drug combination can be serious.
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 1/2
Runs two stages together: safety and dose first, then whether the treatment works.
- Participants
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37 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Dec 2017
- Finished
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Aug 2025
- 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: * Participant must have histologically or radiographically confirmed hepatocellular cancer (HCC) that is advanced or metastatic and if archival tissue is available, have archival tissue submitted for PD-L1, PD-L2 testing * Participants with measurable disease that has progressed are eligible if prior surgery or locoregional therapy occurred \> 28 days prior to enrollment * Have an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status of 0-1 (Karnofsky \>= 60%) * Child-Pugh class-A liver function * Absolute neutrophil count (ANC) \>= 1,500/ mcL * Hemoglobin \>= 8.5 g/dL * Platelets \>= 75,000/ mcL * Total bilirubin =\< 2.0 mg/dL * Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) =\< 5 X ULN * Serum Creatinine \<= 1.5 upper limit of normal (ULN)or Creatinine clearance \> 50 mL/minute if serum creatinine is elevated above 1.5 X ULN * Have measurable disease per Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) 1.1 criteria present * Ability to swallow and retain oral medication * Participants of child-bearing potential must agree to use adequate contraceptive methods (e.g., hormonal or barrier method of birth control; abstinence) prior to study entry; should a woman become pregnant or suspect she is pregnant while she or her partner is participating in this study, she should inform her treating physician immediately * Participant must understand the investigational nature of this study and sign an Independent Ethics Committee/Institutional Review Board approved written informed consent form prior to receiving any study related procedure * Participants with past or ongoing hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection will be eligible for the study. The treated participants must have completed their treatment at least 1 month prior to starting study intervention. * Participants with controlled hepatitis B will be eligible as long as they meet the following criteria: Antiviral therapy for HBV must be given for at least 12 weeks and HBV viral load must be less than 100 IU/ml prior to first dose of study drug. Participants on active HBV therapy with viral loads under 100 IU/mL should stay on the same therapy throughout study treatment Participants who are anti-HBc , negative for Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and negative or positive for anti-HBs, and who have an HBV viral load under 100 IU/mL , do not require HBV anti-viral prophylaxis Exclusion Criteria: * One prior line of therapy that may include a PDL1 blocker allowed, no prior sorafenib or PD1 blocker allowed. * Participants who have had radiotherapy or chemotherapy within 4 weeks (6 weeks for nitrosoureas or mitomycin C) prior to entering the study or those who have not recovered from adverse events due to agents administered more than 4 weeks earlier * Any evidence of bleeding diathesis (patients on therapeutic warfarin or heparin will be excluded) * Participants with a history of variceal bleed within 6 months prior to enrollment * Known human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive participants (even if on combination retrovirals, participant will be excluded * Participants with chronic autoimmune disease * Participants with known brain metastases should be excluded from this clinical trial * Uncontrolled intercurrent illness including, but not limited to, ongoing or active infection, symptomatic congestive heart failure, unstable angina pectoris, cardiac arrhythmia, or psychiatric illness/social situations that would limit compliance with study requirements * Has known history of, or any evidence of active, non-infectious pneumonitis * Pregnant or nursing female participants * Unwilling or unable to follow protocol requirements * Any condition which in the Investigator's opinion deems the participant an unsuitable candidate to receive study drug * Received a live vaccine within 30 days prior to start of study treatment
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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.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Robert H Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center
Chicago, Illinois, 60611, United States
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Roswell Park Cancer Institute
Buffalo, New York, 14263, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.