๐ฌIn plain words
What the trial is, and whether it could suit you
The goal of this clinical trial is to compare two treatment regimes, namely, systemic therapy (chemotherapy and/or immunotherapy) alone vs. systemic therapy and radiation therapy in patients with inoperable but localized gallbladder cancer. The main questions it aims to answer are:
* Whether adding radiation therapy to systemic therapy improves overall survival?
* What are the effects on other endpoints like cancer-free intervals, side effects, and quality of life? Participants will be randomly assigned to one of the two treatment regimes mentioned earlier by a computer-based program. Researchers will compare survival and quality of life outcomes between the two groups.
Sign in to get the eligibility rules as simple questions to take to your doctor.
๐ Eligibility rules (as published)
Inclusion Criteria:
* Histologically proven (biopsy/cytology) adenocarcinoma of gall bladder. Gall bladder neck primaries with hilar block mimicking hilar cholangiocarcinoma will also be included.
* Non metastatic at presentation as determined using cross sectional imaging and diagnostic laparoscopy if done as a part of standard work up recommended in the joint clinic.
* Locally advanced disease with one or more of the following
* Extensive liver infiltration not amenable for surgery but feasible for safe radiation delivery (Liver minus gross tumor volume at least 700cc)
* Vascular involvement: encasement (\>180-degree angle) of one of the vessels: Hepatic artery, main portal vein, right or left portal vein
* Obstructive jaundice with hilar involvement (type 2 non communicating block and higher blocks as per Bismuth-Corlette classification)
* Stable disease or partial response (RECIST 1.1) after initial 3 months of Gemcitabine based chemotherapy
* More than 18 years of age
* Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status of 0, 1, or 2 fit for chemotherapy
* Normal hematological and renal and hepatic functions allowing safe delivery of chemotherapy
* Hematological- Hb\> 80 g/L, ANC โฅ 1.5 x 109/L, platelets โฅ 100 x 109/L.
* Liver functions- bilirubin โค 2 x upper limit normal (ULN), AST/ALT โค 5 x ULN, alkaline phosphatase โค 6 x upper limit normal (ULN) S. albumin โฅ 30 g/L
* Renal function- Creatinine โค 1.5 ULN, Creatinine clearance \>= 50 mL/min
Exclusion Criteria:
* Patients with distant metastasis (including nonregional lymph nodes metastasis) will be excluded.
* Prior abdominal therapeutic radiation
* Past or current history of other malignancies not curatively treated and without evidence of disease for more than 5 years, except for curatively treated basal cell carcinoma of the skin and in situ carcinoma of the cervix
* Pregnancy/Lactating women