Circulating Tumor Cells and Tumor DNA in HCC and NET

University of Aarhus

Status: Completed

Conditions: Carcinoma, Hepatocellular; Neuroendocrine Tumors

Treatments: Procedure: Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) or surgery; Drug: Everolimus; Drug: Lanreotide; Drug: Sorafenib

Study type: Observational

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT02973204

SK-HCC-NET

Details and patient eligibility

About

Background Treatment and control of cancer is associated with high costs, to patients in the form of side effects and discomfort during investigations, to society in the form of expensive drugs and studies.

Circulating tumor cells (CTC) has received great attention as a cancer biomarker in trying to estimate future course in patients with breast cancer, colon cancer and prostate cancer. CTC is believed to be a crucial step in cancer spreading to the bloodstream and giving rise to metastases. Detection of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) specifically adds specificity to the analysis of the CTC.

The investigators would like to with molecular biological methods predict which patients requires special monitoring and individualized therapy and explore these tests as clinical decision support.

Purpose and method

In a blood sample from patients with neuro-endocrine tumor (NET) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the investigators will by cell separation, flow cytometry and DNA sequencing and digital polymerase chain reaction (PCR):

1. Identify and isolate the CTC and investigate these for tumor-specific mutations.
2. Quantify ctDNA and analyze this for specific mutations, which in the past has been found frequent in NET and HCC.
3. Compare findings of mutations on CTC and ctDNA with mutations in tissue biopsies.

The results are compared with the clinical data on disease course, including the effect of treatment and survival.

Subjects 40 Patients with small intestinal/unknown primary NET before treatment with somatostatin analogues 30 patients with pancreatic NET before treatment with Everolimus 30 patients with presumed radically treated HCC 30 patients with HCC in treatment with Sorafenib A blood sample will be taken prior to the start of treatment, after 1 month after start of treatment and thereafter every 3.-6. month for up to two years.

Perspectives In several cancer types molecular diagnostics have had significant influence in treatment and control strategy. The goal is in future to be able to take advantage of a so-called "liquid biopsy" as clinical decision support. The study will bring new knowledge to this growing field of research.

Enrollment: 167 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• one of the above mentioned diseases
• planed surgery, RFA, Somatostatin Analogue, Sorafenib or Everolimus treatment
• signed informed consent

Exclusion criteria

• age below 18, concomitant invasive cancer (not skin cancer) and planed emigration of Denmark.

Trial design

167 participants in 4 patient groups

HCC sorafenib

Description:

HCC patients referred for Sorafenib treatment

Treatment:

Drug: Sorafenib

HCC curative treatment

Description:

HCC patient undergoing potential curative treatment, eg. radiofrequency ablation (RFA) or resection

Treatment:

Procedure: Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) or surgery

NET everolimus

Description:

Pancreatic NET patients referred for Everolimus treatment

Treatment:

Drug: Everolimus

NET ssta

Description:

Small intestinal or unknown primary NET patients referred for treatment with somatostatin analogues, eg. lanreotide and octreotide

Treatment:

Drug: Lanreotide