
"I was delighted to take part in a clinical trial as it has the potential to really help others in the future.”
This trial compared 2 treatments called chemoembolisation and embolisation to see which was better at treating primary liver cancer (hepatocellular carcinoma).
is a way of cutting off the cancer’s main blood supply. The doctor injects a substance that blocks the blood vessels to the area of the liver containing the cancer. This reduces the supply of oxygen and food to the cancer, and may make it shrink.
Chemoembolisation is similar to embolisation. But the doctors inject a chemotherapy drug called cisplatin a few hours before they inject the substance that blocks the blood vessels.
Doctors didn’t know whether chemoembolisation worked better than embolisation alone. The aim of this trial was to compare these two treatments to find out which worked best and to find out more about the side effects.
The trial team found it was possible to use chemoembolisation to treat liver cancer. They think it is better than embolisation but aren’t sure if it improves survival.
This was a phase 2 trial. It recruited 86 people. It was a randomised trial. The people taking part were put into 1 of 2 treatment groups. 81 of the 86 people had treatment
At the end of treatment, the researchers looked at a scan of the liver to assess how well the cancer had responded. They found that in the group who had embolisation
For the remaining 10 people, the scan results were missing.
For those who had chemoembolisation
For the remaining 6 people the scan was missing.
After an average follow up of 2 years, the researchers found no difference between the 2 groups in the length of time people lived after treatment. They also found no difference in the length of time it took for the cancer to start growing again.
The worst side effects for people who had chemoembolisation were
The worst side effects for people who had embolisation were
The trial team concluded that chemoembolisation may be better than embolisation to treat liver cancer but they couldn’t conclude that it improved overall survival.
We have based this summary on information from the team who ran the trial. The information they sent us has been reviewed by independent specialists () and published in a medical journal. The figures we quote above were provided by the trial team. We have not analysed the data ourselves.
Please note: In order to join a trial you will need to discuss it with your doctor, unless otherwise specified.
Prof Tim Meyer
Experimental Cancer Medicine Centre (ECMC)
National Institute for Health Research Cancer Research Network (NCRN)
University College London (UCL)
If you have questions about the trial please contact our cancer information nurses
Freephone 0808 800 4040
"I was delighted to take part in a clinical trial as it has the potential to really help others in the future.”