Transarterial Chemoembolization (TACE) Plus ABCB1 Inhibition Versus TACE Alone in Patients With Hepatocellular Carcinoma

NCT ID: NCT07302919

Last Updated: 2025-12-24

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: NOT_YET_RECRUITING
• Clinical Phase: PHASE2/PHASE3
• Total Enrollment: 152 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2026-01-15
• Study Completion Date: 2028-06-30

Brief Summary

IMPACT-TACE is an investigator-initiated, prospective, multicenter, randomized, double-blinded, interventional trial to test the hypothesis that the simultaneous application of doxorubicin with the ABCB1 inhibitor nicardipine would significantly improve the success rate of TACE treatment.

Detailed Description

Liver cancer, also known as hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), is the sixth most common tumor disease worldwide. It is an aggressive cancer that is very often fatal, as it is usually detected at a late stage when surgery is no longer possible. International guidelines recommend transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) as the treatment of choice in such cases, as this therapy can prolong survival. In such cases, international guidelines recommend transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) as the treatment of choice, as this therapy can prolong survival. TACE is a widely used interventional method in which a thin catheter is advanced to the liver artery supplying the tumor. Tiny beads loaded with a chemotherapeutic agent (doxorubicin) are then injected directly into the tumor nodules. The beads block the artery supplying the tumor, interrupting the blood supply to the tumor and causing it to die. In addition, the beads slowly release the chemotherapy drug doxorubicin into the tumor, which is intended to contribute to the complete death of the tumor cells. However, the studies also showed that complete death of the tumor node could only be achieved in approximately 25% of patients. The latest study results have revealed that one of the main causes of the incomplete response to TACE therapy is that cancer cells develop resistance to protect themselves against the chemotherapy drug doxorubicin. This resistance can be circumvented by inhibiting the enzyme ABCB1, allowing the chemotherapy drug to act on the tumor cells and kill them completely. The blood pressure medication nicardipine has a strong inhibitory effect on this enzyme. In this study, the investigators therefore want to investigate whether the response to TACE therapy can be improved by administering beads that release the active ingredient nicardipine in the tumor in addition to the chemotherapy drug doxorubicin, so that the tumor nodule cannot develop resistance and dies completely.

Conditions

Hepato Cellular Carcinoma (HCC)

Keywords

Transarterial Chemoembolization (TACE)

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Primary Study Purpose: TREATMENT
• Blinding Strategy: QUADRUPLE

Study Groups

Experimental Arm

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

DEB-DoxNic-TACE

Intervention Type: COMBINATION_PRODUCT

TACE (transarterial chemoembolization) with 1-3 mL drug-eluting beads (DEB) loaded with 33mg/ml doxorubicin (Dox) and 0.3mg/mL nicardipine (Nic)

Control Arm

Group Type: ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

current standard of care

Intervention Type: COMBINATION_PRODUCT

TACE (transarterial chemoembolization) with 1-3 mL drug-eluting beads loaded with 33mg/ml doxorubicin

Interventions

DEB-DoxNic-TACE

TACE (transarterial chemoembolization) with 1-3 mL drug-eluting beads (DEB) loaded with 33mg/ml doxorubicin (Dox) and 0.3mg/mL nicardipine (Nic)

Intervention Type: COMBINATION_PRODUCT

current standard of care

TACE (transarterial chemoembolization) with 1-3 mL drug-eluting beads loaded with 33mg/ml doxorubicin

Intervention Type: COMBINATION_PRODUCT

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• Informed consent as documented by signature,
• Age ≥18 years,
• Diagnosis of HCC by biopsy or by established imaging criteria using CT or MRI,
• At least one target lesion without prior treatment,
• Diameter of the target lesion ≥3 cm and ≤8 cm,
• Preserved liver function (no jaundice, no ascites, no overt hepatic encephalopathy).
• For women of childbearing potential: agreement to remain abstinent (refrain from heterosexual intercourse) or use contraceptive methods for at least 3 months after the TACE treatment.

Exclusion Criteria

• Any prior systemic therapy for advanced HCC,
• Diffuse tumor lesions, extrahepatic metastases, or vascular invasion,
• Hepatic encephalopathy,
• Uncontrolled ascites or pleural effusion,
• Jaundice,
• Severe hypotension or hemodynamic shock or need of vasoactive medications,
• Decompensated heart failure New York Heart Association (NYHA) class IV,
• eGFR < 15 mL/min/1.73 m2 per MDRD (Modification of Diet in Renal Disease) formula,
• Myocardial infarction within the last 6 months,
• Life expectancy <12 weeks,
• Contraindications to the class of drugs under study, e.g., known hypersensitivity or allergy to calcium antagonists,
• Inability to follow the procedures of the study, e.g., due to language problems, psychological disorders, dementia, etc. of the participant,
• Pregnancy or breastfeeding, or intention of becoming pregnant during study treatment or within at least 3 months after the TACE treatment.

• Minimum Eligible Age: 18 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Sponsors

University Hospital, Basel, Switzerland

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Responsibility Role: SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

Fahim Ebrahimi, PD Dr.

Role: STUDY_DIRECTOR

University Hospital, Basel, Switzerland

Locations

University Hospital Basel

Basel, , Switzerland

Hôpitaux Universitaires de Genève

Geneva, , Switzerland

Kantonsspital St. Gallen

Sankt Gallen, , Switzerland

Countries

Switzerland

Central Contacts

Fahim Ebrahimi, PD Dr.

Role: CONTACT

Phone: +41 61 777 74 00

Email: fahim.ebrahimi@clarunis.ch

Facility Contacts

Fahim Ebrahimi, PD Dr.

Role: primary

Nicolas Goossens, PD Dr.

Role: primary

David Semela, PD Dr.

Role: primary

Other Identifiers

2024-02072, bb24heim

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id