French contrast developer Guerbet is partnering with Lausanne University Hospital and the Lausanne Center for Experimental Therapies, Switzerland, on a study to evaluate the effects of Lipiodol-based conventional transarterial chemoembolization on the immunity of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.
There are nearly 800,000 new cases of hepatocellular carcinoma each year worldwide, and the disease causes over 700,000 deaths annually, according to Guerbet. Conventional transarterial chemoembolization is the current treatment standard for patients with intermediate stage hepatocellular carcinoma, and has been shown to improve patient survival compared with supportive palliative therapy, the firm said.
The group will investigate immunomodulatory mechanisms prompted by a conventional transarterial chemoembolization procedure in 20 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma by measuring variations in the expression of different groups of genes and of proteins involved in the antitumor immune response. The study will be conducted at Lausanne University Hospital and coordinated by Dr. Rafael Duran and Dr. Lana Kandalaft, Guerbet said.
