Clinical trial · Interventional
RFA vs. SBRT for Small HCC
Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA) Versus Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy (SBRT) for Small Hepatocellular Carcinoma：A Phase III, Prospective, Randomized, Open, Parallel Controlled Clinical Trial
- Source
- ClinicalTrials.gov
- Retrieved
- Sep 8, 2026
- Layer
- normalized (units and labels harmonized; values unchanged)
- Run
- ING-CLINICALTRIALS-20260908-000001
Summary
Brief summary (as posted)
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the malignant tumors that seriously threaten the health of people. Its morbidity and mortality rank the third and the second among various malignant tumors in China, respectively. Local ablation therapy represented by radiofrequency ablation (RFA) has been recommended as a first-line treatment for small HCC by most international guidelines. Especially for central small HCC, RFA is considered the first-line choice. With the advancement of radiotherapy equipment and the development of precise imaging technology, stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) has become one of the important treatments for liver cancer.Retrospective controlled studies have shown that SBRT is similar to RFA in treating small HCC, and the local control rate may be better than RFA. But there is no high-level evidence to support which treatment is superior. This project aims to conduct a phase III, prospective, randomized, open, parallel controlled clinical study of RFA versus SBRT for small HCC (solitary tumor≤ 5.0 cm). The results will provide potent evidence for the rational and effective treatment of early HCC and the improvement of clinical guidelines for HCC.
Conditions
Conditions (1)
Free-text conditions as registered, with the CancerIndex entity they were reconciled to and the match type.
| Condition (as posted) | Mapped entity | Match | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hepatocellular Carcinoma | Hepatocellular Carcinoma | ONTOLOGY_EXACT | 0.98 |
Interventions
Interventions (2)
| Intervention | Type | Mapped drug | Match |
|---|---|---|---|
| Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) | Procedure | — | UNRESOLVED |
| stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) | Radiation | — | UNRESOLVED |
Design
Arms and outcomes
Arms (2)
- type
- EXPERIMENTAL
- label
- Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy (SBRT)
- description
- The planned target volume (PTV) was constructed by adding a 5-mm geometric uncertainty margin around the clinical target volume (CTV). The dose-volume constraints used during SBRT planning are fairly standardized: care was taken to ensure that at least 700 cm3 of normal liver parenchyma was exposed to \<15 Gy over the course of SBRT, consistent with published recommendation. Radiotherapy dose was prescribed to the isodose surface covering 99.5% of the PTV, typically 75% to 85% of the maximum PTV dose, accepting regional underdosing when necessary to satisfy normal tissue limits.
- interventionNames
- Radiation: stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT)
- type
- ACTIVE_COMPARATOR
- label
- Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA)
- description
- Radiofrequency Ablation is carried out under intravenous anesthesia/epidural anesthesia/general anesthesia, with CT or B-ultrasound guidance, through percutaneous or laparoscopic means as far as possible. The ablation range requires complete coverage of the tumor, and has a certain "safe margin". CT/MRI/sonography will be performed 1 month after RFA. If residual tumor was found after treatment, RFA will be carried out again. If there are still residual tumor after two or more RFA treatments, the RFA treatment will be stopped. After the local progression of the tumor, surgical treatment or other treatment methods are considered according to the specific condition.
Eligibility
Eligibility (as posted)
- Sex
- All
- Minimum age
- 18 Years
- Maximum age
- 75 Years
Show eligibility criteria text
Inclusion Criteria: 1. Previously untreated hepatocellular carcinoma; the diagnostic criteria are based on the "Diagnostic Criteria for Liver Cancer" in the 2017 edition of the "Diagnosis and Treatment of Primary Liver Cancer" by the Department of Health and Medical Administration of the Ministry of Health of China. 2. Single tumor≤5cm in diameter with no vascular invasion, lymph node or distant metastasis. 3. Central type of liver cancer: the shortest distance between tumor and hepatic vein, portal vein, biliary system trunk or first or second branch, or the posterior inferior vena cava of the liver is no more than 1.0cm. 4. No contraindications to RFA and SBRT treatment. 5. KPS≥90. 6. Liver function: Child-Pugh class A; normal liver volume is more than 800cm3. 7. The expected survival of the patient is more than 6 months. 8. The following conditions are met: Platelet≥70×109/L; White blood cell≥3.0×109/L; Hemoglobin≥85 g/L; Serum creatinine≤1.5 × upper limit; PT≤3 second extension. 9. Agree to accept postoperative follow-up required by the design of this study. 10. Patients must have the ability to understand and voluntarily sign the informed consent, and must sign an informed consent before starting any specific procedure for the study. Exclusion Criteria: 1. In combined with severe heart, lung, kidney or other important organ dysfunction, or combined with serious infection or other serious associated diseases (\> CTCAE Version 3.0 adverse events of grade 2), that can not tolerate treatment. 2. Patients have a history of other malignancies. 3. Patients have a history of allergic reactions to related drugs. 4. Patients have a history of organ transplantation. 5. Pregnant women, nursing mothers. 6. Patients cannot be performed RFA or SBRT treatment. 7. Patients have other factors that may affect patient enrollment and assessment results. 8. Receiving immunotherapy or targeted therapy. 9. Refuse the follow-up regulations as required by this study protocol and refuse to sign informed consent.
References
Publications (13)
- BACKGROUNDTorre LA, Bray F, Siegel RL, Ferlay J, Lortet-Tieulent J, Jemal A. Global cancer statistics, 2012. CA Cancer J Clin. 2015 Mar;65(2):87-108. doi: 10.3322/caac.21262. Epub 2015 Feb 4. PMID 25651787
- BACKGROUNDForner A, Reig M, Bruix J. Hepatocellular carcinoma. Lancet. 2018 Mar 31;391(10127):1301-1314. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(18)30010-2. Epub 2018 Jan 5. PMID 29307467
- BACKGROUNDFeng K, Yan J, Li X, Xia F, Ma K, Wang S, Bie P, Dong J. A randomized controlled trial of radiofrequency ablation and surgical resection in the treatment of small hepatocellular carcinoma. J Hepatol. 2012 Oct;57(4):794-802. doi: 10.1016/j.jhep.2012.05.007. Epub 2012 May 23. PMID 22634125
- BACKGROUNDNg KKC, Chok KSH, Chan ACY, Cheung TT, Wong TCL, Fung JYY, Yuen J, Poon RTP, Fan ST, Lo CM. Randomized clinical trial of hepatic resection versus radiofrequency ablation for early-stage hepatocellular carcinoma. Br J Surg. 2017 Dec;104(13):1775-1784. doi: 10.1002/bjs.10677. Epub 2017 Nov 1. PMID 29091283
- BACKGROUNDLencioni R, Crocetti L. Local-regional treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma. Radiology. 2012 Jan;262(1):43-58. doi: 10.1148/radiol.11110144. PMID 22190656
- BACKGROUNDLau WY, Leung TW, Yu SC, Ho SK. Percutaneous local ablative therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma: a review and look into the future. Ann Surg. 2003 Feb;237(2):171-9. doi: 10.1097/01.SLA.0000048443.71734.BF. PMID 12560774
- BACKGROUNDTateishi R, Shiina S, Teratani T, Obi S, Sato S, Koike Y, Fujishima T, Yoshida H, Kawabe T, Omata M. Percutaneous radiofrequency ablation for hepatocellular carcinoma. An analysis of 1000 cases. Cancer. 2005 Mar 15;103(6):1201-9. doi: 10.1002/cncr.20892. PMID 15690326
- Chen MS, Li JQ, Zheng Y, Guo RP, Liang HH, Zhang YQ, Lin XJ, Lau WY. A prospective randomized trial comparing percutaneous local ablative therapy and partial hepatectomy for small hepatocellular carcinoma. Ann Surg. 2006 Mar;243(3):321-8. doi: 10.1097/01.sla.0000201480.65519.b8.