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Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy Versus Radiofrequency Ablation for Unresectable, Small (≤ 3 cm) HCC

A Phase III Randomized Controlled Non-inferiority Trial to Compare Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy Versus Radiofrequency Ablation for Unresectable, Small (≤ 3 cm) Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Status
Active, not recruiting
Phases
NA
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT05433701
Enrollment
178
Registered
2022-06-27
Start date
2022-08-29
Completion date
2026-12-31
Last updated
2023-08-18

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Brief summary

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the third leading cause of cancer-related mortality and the sixth most prevalent cancer in the world. Standard treatments for early-stage HCCs include resection, liver transplantation, and percutaneous ablation, with 5-year survival rates of over 50 percent. Less than one-third of patients, however, are candidates for hepatic resection, and the use of radiofrequency ablation (RFA) may be significantly limited in cases with unfavorable tumor location and poor visibility on images, which increase the risk of technical failures and complications after RFA. Recent advancements in radiotherapy and imaging have made it possible to deliver optimal radiation doses on the tumor site while minimizing exposure to normal organs. Stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) is a method of high-precision radiation therapy that concentrates high-dose radiation to HCC in a short period of time to maximize the therapeutic effect on the tumor and minimize the side effects on normal tissues. Prospective and retrospective studies on SBRT for HCC have demonstrated its efficacy for local tumor control in small HCC. On the basis of these promising clinical results, a number of studies have compared the efficacy of RFA and SBRT. However, there is no strong evidence from randomized controlled trials comparing SBRT and RFA. In order to evaluate and compare the local efficacy and clinical outcomes of SBRT and RFA in patients with recurrent HCC, we conduct this non-inferiority trial.

Detailed description

A total of 178 subjects are randomly assigned to one of two treatment groups (89 patients in the body stereotactic radiotherapy group and 89 patients in the radiofrequency ablation group). If the assigned treatment method is technically infeasible, patients are allowed to be treated with the other method. * RFA: When localization of the lesion is difficult under image guidance, when it is difficult to secure a safe needle path, when there is a risk of collateral thermal damage to adjacent organs, and when it is difficult to prevent it. * SBRT: When irradiation with 45 Gy (daily dose of 15 Gy) is infeasible due to the maximum tolerance dose of normal organs.

Interventions

RADIATIONStereotactic Body Radiotherapy

* Verify the setup position and respiration of patients as in the simulation CT image. * To precisely align the tumor prior to each treatment, cone-beam CT and gated fluoroscopy using the On-board Imager mounted on the linear accelerator are performed. * The Real-time Position Management system is used to monitor the accuracy of breathing phase during treatment.

PROCEDURERadiofrequency Ablation

\- RFA are performed under local anesthesia or monitored anesthesia care with either a 15-gause or 17-gause internally cooled electrode, depending on the size of the tumor.

Sponsors

Jonggi Choi
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

1. patient over the age of 18 2. primary or recurrent HCC that is not suitable for surgery 3. HCCs with a longest diameter of ≤3cm and ≤2 lesions 4. no evidence of intrahepatic or extrahepatic residual disease except for target lesions 5. Child-Pugh class A or B hepatic function 6. no macroscopic vascular invasion or extrahepatic metastasis 7. written informed consent

Exclusion criteria

1. Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status score 3 or 4 2. uncontrolled ascites, variceal bleeding, or hepatic encephalopathy 3. previous history of liver transplantation 4. an active gastric or duodenal ulcer within 3 months before screening 5. pregnant woman 6. uncontrolled other malignancies except for HCC within 2 years before screening 7. platelet count \<50,000/µl 8. Patients who are judged by the researcher to be difficult to conduct clinical research

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Local progression-free survival rate, per-protocol (PP)At year 2Local progression-free survival rate, PP

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Overall survival rate, ITTAt year 2Overall survival rate, ITT
Intrahepatic progression-free survival rate, PPAt year 2Intrahepatic progression-free survival rate, PP
Intrahepatic progression-free survival rate, ITTAt year 2Intrahepatic progression-free survival rate, ITT
Progression-free survival rate, PPAt year 2Progression-free survival rate, PP
Progression-free survival rate, ITTAt year 2progression-free survival rate, ITT
Adverse reaction rate, PPAt year 2Adverse reaction rate, PP
Progression-free survival rate, intention-to-treat (ITT)At year 2Progression-free survival rate, intention-to-treat (ITT)
Adverse reaction rate ≥ Gr 3, PPAt year 2Adverse reaction rate ≥ Gr 3, PP
Adverse reaction rate ≥ Gr 3, ITTAt year 2Adverse reaction rate ≥ Gr 3, ITT
Change of Child-Pugh score , PPAt year 2Change of Child-Pugh score , PP
Change of Child-Pugh score, ITTAt year 2Change of Child-Pugh score, ITT
Local progression-free survival rate according to the tumor location, PPAt year 2Local progression-free survival rate according to the tumor location, PP
Local progression-free survival rate according to the tumor location, ITTAt year 2Local progression-free survival rate according to the tumor location, ITT
Adverse reaction rate, ITTAt year 2adverse reaction rate, ITT

Countries

South Korea

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026