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Radiation Treatment (Therasphere) in Combination with Systemic Therapy for the Treatment of Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Trial Status: active

This phase II study compares two available systemic therapies (immunotherapy and tyrosine kinase inhibitors [TKIs]) in combination with radiation treatment called Therasphere in treating patients with liver cancer (hepatocellular carcinoma [HCC]) that may have spread from where it first started to nearby tissue, lymph nodes, or distant parts of the body (advanced). Systemic therapy refers to treatment using substances that travel through the bloodstream, reaching and affecting cells all over the body. Immunotherapy with the drugs atezolizumab and bevacizumab is approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for treatment of advanced HCC. It works by targeting the PD-1 pathway, which is a protein that stops the body from destroying normal cells but can also prevent it from killing tumor cells. Prior research has shown evidence that manipulating the PD-1 pathway allows the immune system to target tumor cells in HCC better. TKIs are a part of many cell functions, including cell signaling, growth, and division. These enzymes may be too active or found at high levels in some types of tumor cells and blocking them may help keep tumor cells from growing. Lenvatinib and cabozantinib are TKI drugs that have been approved by the FDA to treat advanced HCC. Therasphere is an FDA-approved radiation treatment for HCC composed of non-biodegradable glass microspheres coated with a radioactive substance called yttrium-90. These glass microspheres become trapped in the tumor and allow higher doses of radiation to concentrate within it leading to destruction of tumor cells. Giving the investigational systemic therapy following Therasphere may allow improved time to disease progression compared to patients who are not participants in investigational systemic therapy following Therasphere.