A Clinical Study of EUS-RFA for Inoperable Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma (EUS-RFA)

April 20, 2026 updated by: Centre hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CHUM)

A Phase II Prospective Randomised Clinical Study of Endoscopic Ultrasound Guided Radiofrequency Ablation (EUS-RFA) for Inoperable Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma

To assess if endoscopic ultrasound-guided radiofrequency ablation application in patients with inoperable pancreatic cancer confers survival benefit when compared to patients receiving standard medical care.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Suspended

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

The five-year survival for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is less than 5% in spite of the advances in management of cancers in the last few decades. Endobiliary application of radiofrequency (RF) has been developed and used in patients with inoperable bile duct and pancreatic head adenocarcinomas presenting with biliary obstruction. (1, 2) Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) radiofrequency ablation (RFA) of pancreatic neoplasms has been proven to be well tolerated and safe, inducing a significant reduction in tumour size (3). Various techniques of EUS-guided tumour ablation have been described, including RF ablation, photodynamic therapy, laser ablation, and ethanol injection (4). Kahaleh et al. have demonstrated that Endoscopic ultrasound guided RF ablation (EUS-RFA) of the pancreatic head using Habib EUS-RFA catheter (EMcision Ltd, UK) through a 19-gauge needle was well tolerated in 5 Yucatan pigs and with minimum amount of pancreatitis (5). In a pilot clinical study, Pai et al showed either a complete response or at least a 50% reduction in tumours following application of radiofrequency ablation with the Habib™ EUS-RFA device in a group of eight patients with pancreatic cancers (3).

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
108

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Canada
    • Quebec
      • Montreal, Quebec, Canada, H2X 0A9
        • Centre de Recherche du Centre Hospitalier de l'Universite de Montreal

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Patients above 18 years of age.
  • A cytological / histological diagnosis of inoperable PDAC based on multidisciplinary review of cross-sectional imaging and cytology / histology results.
  • Patients ought to be fit enough to be considered for the study (ECOG (Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group) performance status 0, 1 or 2)
  • Patients who have commenced chemotherapy are not excluded from the study
  • Patients capable of giving informed consent
  • Negative blood pregnancy test for women of childbearing potential
  • Willingness and ability to comply with all protocol requirements including scheduled visits, treatment plans, laboratory tests and other study procedures.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • ECOG performance status 3 or 4
  • Life expectancy less than 3 months (including liver metastases, carcinomatosis)
  • Prior investigational drugs within the last 30 days
  • Known infection with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: 3 radiofrequency ablation procedures
Subject will undergo 3 radiofrequency ablation procedures at 1 month intervals (EUS-RFA using Habib Tm as a probe)
Device: EUS-RFA using Habib Tm as a probe
3 EUS-RFA interventions at 1-month interval
Active Comparator: standard medical care
Subject will receive standard medical care, including pain relief drugs
Procedure: EUS
Standard intervention

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Survival
Time Frame: 1 month
Duration of survival
1 month
Survival
Time Frame: at time of death on average 10months
Duration of survival
at time of death on average 10months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Quality of life (HEALTH, SOCIAL INTERACTIONS, DAILY ACTIVITIES)
Time Frame: 1 month
Quality of life questionnaire DDQ15
1 month
Quality of life (HEALTH, SOCIAL INTERACTIONS, DAILY ACTIVITIES)
Time Frame: Time of death on average 10 months
Quality of life questionnaire DDQ15
Time of death on average 10 months
Pain reduction
Time Frame: 1 month
Likert Scale
1 month
Pain reduction
Time Frame: Time of death on average 10months
Likert Scale
Time of death on average 10months
Monitoring of Adverse reactions
Time Frame: At time of death on average 10months
Number of participants with treatment-related adverse events will be recorded
At time of death on average 10months
Tumour Size
Time Frame: 4 months
Measures during follow-up EUS
4 months

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Centre hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CHUM)

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: ANAND V SAHAI, MD, Centre de Recherche du Centre Hospitalier de l'Universite de Montreal

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
February 14, 2019

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
June 30, 2028

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
December 1, 2028

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
October 27, 2017

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
February 19, 2018

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
February 26, 2018

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
April 23, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
April 20, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
April 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • CE 17.215

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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