Study on Using Contrast Enhanced Ultrasound to Check Treatment Response in Liver Tumor Patients

Program Overview

The purpose of this study is to see if a special type of ultrasound, called contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS), can effectively show how liver tumors respond to a treatment known as transarterial chemoembolization (TACE). TACE is a procedure where doctors inject a mixture of chemotherapy and a blocking agent directly into the liver to treat cancer. Currently, doctors use MRI or CT scans to check how well the treatment worked, but these are done 1-2 months after the procedure. CEUS uses sound waves and a contrast agent called Lumason to create images of the liver and can be done during the TACE procedure, potentially allowing for earlier assessment of the treatment's success.

Description

The main goal of this study is to find out how well contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) can detect changes in liver tumors after they have been treated with transarterial chemoembolization (TACE). Researchers want to see if CEUS can accurately show whether the treatment is working by looking at the blood flow in the tumors.

Secondary goals include:

• Checking if CEUS can spot any remaining active tumor areas during the TACE procedure, so doctors can treat them right away if needed.
• Exploring new imaging techniques to improve CEUS's ability to identify any remaining cancer cells after TACE.
• Seeing if CEUS done before TACE can help predict how well the treatment will work by analyzing the tumor's blood vessels.

In this study, patients will receive an injection of a contrast agent called Lumason and undergo CEUS at different times: 2 weeks before TACE, during TACE, 1-2 weeks after TACE, and 1-2 months after TACE. After the study treatment, patients will have a follow-up visit at 6 months.

Eligibility Criteria

Locations