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Should liver cancer patients get surgery after drugs work? new study aims to find out
NCT ID NCT07290764
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study looks at people with liver cancer that was too large or spread out to remove with surgery, but then completely disappeared after drug treatment. Researchers want to see if having surgery after the drugs work helps people live longer compared to just watching and waiting. About 729 patients will be followed for three years to compare survival rates.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- surgical resection
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could show that surgery after complete remission improves long-term survival for patients with initially unresectable liver cancer.
- What could go wrong
- This is an observational study, not a randomized trial, so results may be biased. The findings may not apply to all patients, and surgery carries its own risks.
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
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About 729 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Dec 2025
- Expected to finish
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Jun 2026
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.
Who is studied
patients with initially unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma, the tumor response reached complete remission after systematic treatment.
- Ages
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18 to 75 years
- 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. Aged between 18 and 75 2. Child-Pugh: A/B grade 3. ECOG score: ≤1 point 4. The clinical or pathological diagnosis is consistent with primary HCC, and it has been evaluated by two senior hepatobiliary surgeons as surgically unresectable (including multiple intrahepatic lesions, local vascular invasion, local lymph node metastasis, and distant metastasis). 5. According to the mRECIST criteria, the patient has at least one measurable lesion (the long diameter of the measurable lesion on CT/MRI scans is ≥10mm, and the measurable lesion has not previously received local treatments such as interventional therapy, radiotherapy, or cryotherapy) 6. Patients who achieved CR in tumor response after conversion therapy (based on systemic therapy) (rCR definition: The lesion is completely necrotic as evaluated by enhanced CT/MRI according to the mRECIST criteria;cCR is defined as: reaching rCR according to mRECIST criteria, having no distant metastatic lesions, normal AFP and DCP indicators, and maintaining the above criteria for ≥4weeks); Moreover, it can be surgically removed, with no contraindications for surgery or anesthesia 7. The expected survival time is more than three months 8. The functional indicators of important organs should meet the following requirements: · Blood routine: Absolute neutrophil count ≥ 1.5 × 109/L, Hb ≥ 9.0 g/L, PLT ≥ 75 × 109/L; · Liver function: Total bilirubin ≤ 1.5 times the upper limit of normal value (ULN) (for those with obstructive jaundice, after biliary drainage, it should be ≤ 2.5 times ULN); Alanine aminotransferase (ALT), Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) ≤ 5 times ULN, Albumin ≥ 30 g/L; · Kidney function: Serum creatinine ≤ 1.5 mg/dL, Creatinine clearance rate ≥ 60 ml/min; · Coagulation function: International normalized ratio (INR) and activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) ≤ 1.5 times ULN. 9. No history of severe arrhythmia, heart failure, etc. There is no history of severe ventilation dysfunction or serious pulmonary infection 10. Fertile women should agree to use contraceptive measures during the medication period and for 6 months after the medication is stopped; within 7 days before the study enrollment, the serum or urine pregnancy test must be negative, and the patient must be non-lactating. For male patients, they should agree to use contraceptive measures during the study period and for 6 months after the study is over Exclusion Criteria: 1. Those who have had other malignant tumor histories within the past 5 years or simultaneously, but have been cured, such as skin basal cell carcinoma, cervical carcinoma in situ, and thyroid papillary carcinoma, are excluded 2. Patients who have received organ transplants in the past or are planning to receive organ transplants 3. Patients with any active autoimmune diseases or those with autoimmune diseases and expected recurrence (such as interstitial pneumonia, colitis, hepatitis, hypophysitis, vasculitis, nephritis, hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism, including but not limited to these diseases and syndromes) 4. Have a history of immune deficiency; Patients who are currently undergoing immunosuppressant or systemic hormone therapy to achieve immunosuppressive effects and are still using them within two weeks prior to signing the informed consent form 5. Known hereditary or acquired bleeding disorders (such as coagulation dysfunction) or thrombosis tendencies, such as in patients with hemophilia; currently using or having used full-dose oral or injectable anticoagulant or thrombolytic drugs for therapeutic purposes (allowing for the preventive use of low-dose aspirin or low-molecular-weight heparin within 10 days prior to the start of the study treatment) 6. Within 4 weeks prior to the first use of the investigational drug, there was a severe infection, such as severe pneumonia requiring hospitalization, bacteremia, infection complications, etc.; the baseline chest imaging examination indicated active pulmonary inflammation; within 2 weeks prior to the first use of the investigational drug, there were symptoms and signs of infection or the need for oral or intravenous antibiotic treatment (excluding the use of antibiotics for prophylaxis) 7. Patients with concurrent mental disorders; Has a history of abuse of psychotropic drugs, alcoholism and drug abuse 8. Pregnant or lactating women 9. Those who, as determined by the researchers, are not suitable to participate in this trial for other reasons
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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
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
The full official record for this study. This one lists no contact details, but it is the first place any would appear.
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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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Fuzhou University Affiliated Provincial Hospital
Fuzhou, Fujian, China
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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- Sparing the liver: targeted chemoembolization meets lenvatinib in liver cancer
- AI-Enhanced ultrasound aims to catch liver cancer earlier
- Can turbocharged immune cells stop liver cancer from coming back?
- Two blood markers put to the test for early liver cancer detection
- New antibody pair takes aim at advanced liver cancer in major trial