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LIver TrAnspLantation for Non-resectable Peri-HIlar cholangioCArcinoma (LITALHICA)

LIver TrAnspLantation for Non-resectable Peri-HIlar cholangioCArcinoma (LITALHICA)

Status
Recruiting
Phases
Unknown
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT06125769
Acronym
LITALHICA
Enrollment
50
Registered
2023-11-09
Start date
2024-01-15
Completion date
2033-11-01
Last updated
2026-04-03

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

Conditions

Perihilar Cholangiocarcinoma

Keywords

Liver transplantation

Brief summary

LITALHICA is a prospective non-randomized study aimed at exploring the outcome of liver transplantation in selected patients with unresectable perihilar cholangiocarcinoma (pCCA) after treatment with standard of care chemotherapy, in terms of overall survival and quality of life. Additionally, the study aims to identify pre-transplant biological markers and clinical factors that can stratify patients with the best post-transplant prognosis. Finally, the study aims to investigate the role of preoperative PET-MRI, especially in relation to lymph node locations, by correlating the results with histological examination after hilar lymphadenectomy.

Interventions

PROCEDURELiver transplantation

Patients will undergo liver transplantation according to the standard procedures of the institutional Center's protocol (cadaveric or living donor transplantation, whole or partial liver). Liver transplantation is preceded by an exploratory laparotomy with clinical evaluation and frozen section examination of lymph nodes in the hepatoduodenal ligament and along the common hepatic artery/celiac axis.

Sponsors

Azienda Sanitaria Ospedaliera
Lead SponsorOTHER
Istituto Oncologico Veneto IRCCS
CollaboratorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
NA
Intervention model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 70 Years
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

* Diagnosis of pCCA (transcatheter biopsy or brush cytology, CA 19-9 \> 100 mg/mL and/or a mass on cross-sectional imaging with a malignant appearing stricture on cholangiography, or biliary ploidy with a malignant appearing stricture on cholangiography) * Unresectable tumor above cystic duct (pancreatoduodenectomy for microscopic involvement of CBD) or resectable pCCA arising in PSC * Absence of major vascular invasion, extrahepatic disease, or involvement of regional lymph nodes * No extrahepatic metastatic disease * Radial tumor diameter ≤3 cm * At least six months between first diagnosis of pCCA and date of inclusion * At least six months of SOC chemotherapy, achieving disease stability or partial response

Exclusion criteria

* Uncontrollable infection * Prior radiotherapy or chemotherapy * Prior biliary surgical resection or attempted surgical resection * Diameter of tumor \>3cm * Presence of intra-hepatic metastases or iCCA * Present or past evidence of extrahepatic metastatic disease * Transperitoneal biopsy (including percutaneous ecography-guided FNA) * Prior neoplasms, except those treated curatively for more than 5 years without recurrence * Substance abuse and medical, psychological, or social conditions that may interfere with the patient's participation in the study * Pregnant or breastfeeding women * Medical-surgical contraindications for liver transplantation

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Overall Survival (OS)3 and 5 yearsSurvival from time of transplantation to time of death or last follow up

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Overall survival comparison with chemotherapy alone3 yearsComparison of 3-year survival between patients enrolled in the LITALHICA study and survival of a population balanced for prognostic factors and disease characteristics from the database of the Veneto Oncological Institute (IOV)
Progression-Free Survival (PFS)3 and 5 yearsSurvival from time of transplantation to time of death or first evidence of progression of disease
Overall survival from the time of recurrence5 yearsSurvival from time of recurrence to time of death or last follow up
Progression-free survival comparison with chemotherapy alone3 yearsComparison of 3-year progression-free survival between patients enrolled in the LITALHICA study and progression-free survival of a population balanced for prognostic factors and disease characteristics from the database of the Veneto Oncological Institute (IOV)
Biological markers5 yearsCorrelation of overall survival and recurrence with tissue and circulating biological markers (immunohistochemistry, proteomics, circulating tumor cells, circulating tumor DNA, new molecular markers)
Morbidity90 daysMorbidity at 90 days (according to Clavien-Dindo and Comprehensive Complication Index, CCI)
Cancer-related mortality3 and 5 yearsRisk of mortality with sole relation to death by tumor progression
Drop out5 yearsPercentage of patients who do not complete the procedure (drop-out) stratified by cause
Concordance of surgical and PET/MRI stagingPerioperativeAsses if lymph nodes described as suspicious at the preoperative PET-MRI confirm to be pathological at the histological evaluation after lymphadenectomy of the hepatic hilum and exploratory laparotomy
Quality of life assessed using EORTC QLQ-C305 yearsQuality of life assessed using EORTC QLQ-C30 (European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer QLQ Core Questionnaire) 30 items questionnaire (scale 1-4 or 1-7, 1 being the lowest and 4 or 7 the highest, accordingly)
Quality of life assessed using FACT-Hep questionnaire5 yearsQuality of life assessed using FACT-Hep questionnaire (Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy - Hepatobiliary) questionnaire about quality of life in the last 7 days (scale 0-4, 0 being the lowest and 4 the highest)

Countries

Italy

Contacts

CONTACTEnrico Gringeri, Prof.
enrico.gringeri@unipd.it+39 0498218547
PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOREnrico Gringeri, Prof.

Azienda Ospedale Università di Padova

Outcome results

None listed

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