Adding hydroxychloroquine to artery-based treatment for liver cancer
Official title: Targeting Ischemia-Induced Autophagy Dependence in hepatocellular Carcinoma through Image-guided Locoregional Therapy
Funded at Philadelphia VA Medical Center · NIH-11132588 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project combines artery-blocking liver tumor treatment with the drug hydroxychloroquine to block cancer cells' survival mechanisms in people with liver cancer who cannot have surgery.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Philadelphia VA Medical Center NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Philadelphia, United States) |
| Project start | August 1, 2023 |
| Project end | July 31, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| NIH project number | 5I01CX002542-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11132588 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma who are candidates for transarterial embolization and who can tolerate hydroxychloroquine and image-guided procedures.
✕Less likely to help
People eligible for curative surgery or transplant, those with other types of cancer, or those with medical contraindications to hydroxychloroquine or arterial embolization may not benefit.
What this research studies
If you have hepatocellular carcinoma that cannot be removed by surgery, doctors will use an image-guided procedure to block the artery feeding your tumor and deliver chemotherapy directly (transarterial embolization). At the same time they will give hydroxychloroquine to block autophagy, a survival process tumor cells use when oxygen and nutrients are cut off. The team will use imaging and pathology to measure how much tumor is killed and how often tumors come back. Tissue and blood samples may be analyzed to understand which tumors are most dependent on autophagy.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Could increase tumor cell death after artery-directed therapy and lower the chance of local recurrence for unresectable liver cancer.
How similar studies have gone: Preclinical work and early clinical uses of hydroxychloroquine to block autophagy have shown promising signals, but combining it with transarterial embolization for liver cancer is still experimental.
Where this research is happening
-
Philadelphia VA Medical Center
Philadelphia, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Gade, Terence P — Philadelphia VA Medical Center
- Study coordinator: Gade, Terence P
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.