About this trial

The National Liver Cancer Screening Trial is an adaptive randomized phase IV Trial comparing ultrasound-based versus biomarker-based screening in 5500 patients with cirrhosis from any etiology or patients with chronic hepatitis B infection. Eligible patients will be randomized in a 1:1 fashion to Arm A using semi-annual ultrasound and AFP-based screening or Arm B using semi-annual screening using GALAD alone. Randomization will be stratified by sex, enrolling site, Child Pugh class (A vs. B), and HCC etiology (viral vs. non-viral). Patients will be recruited from 15 sites (mix of tertiary care and large community health systems) over a 3-year period, and the primary endpoint of the phase IV trial, reduction in late-stage HCC, will be assessed after 5.5 years.

Eligibility criteria

Qualifiers

Adult patients ages 18-85 with cirrhosis from any etiology or with chronic hepatitis B with a PAGE-B score greater than 9 within 12 months of enrollment

Patient is eligible for HCC surveillance according to treating physician or by the site investigator

Able to provide informed consent

Life expectancy >6 months (after consent) as determined by the treating provider or site investigator

Disqualifiers

Child Pugh C cirrhosis

History or clinical symptoms of hepatocellular carcinoma or cholangiocarcinoma

History of solid nodule on baseline ultrasound (i.e., lesion 1cm or greater) within 9 months prior to consent without subsequent diagnostic CT/MRI demonstrating benign nature)

AFP >20 ng/mL within 6 months prior to consent, in the absence of a contrast-enhanced CT or MRI within 6 months of AFP (before or after) level demonstrating lack of suspicious liver lesions

Trial design

Treatments tested in this trial

  • GALAD
  • Liver Ultrasound with or without AFP

Treatment groups

5,500 Participants
are divided into 2 treatment groups

Locations

18
California
University of Southern California90089, Los Angeles United States
Stanford University94063, Redwood City United States
Kaiser Permanente95661, Roseville United States
University of California, San Francisco94117, San Francisco United States

Sponsors and collaborators

University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center

Lead sponsor

National Cancer Institute (NCI)

Collaborator

University of Pennsylvania

Collaborator

University of Michigan

Collaborator

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

Collaborator

Baylor College of Medicine

Collaborator

Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center

Collaborator