At-Home Paracentesis for Cancer-Related Malignant Ascites (Paracentesis) (Paracentesis)

August 11, 2026 updated by: University of Utah

A Pilot Study of At-Home Paracentesis for Cancer-Related Malignant Ascites: A Decentralized Interventional Treatment Trial (Paracentesis)

The goal of this study is to evaluate the change in symptoms for cancer-related malignant ascites who complete an at-home paracentesis procedure.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Not yet recruiting

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.

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.
20

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 Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Utah
      • Salt Lake City, Utah, United States, 84112
        • Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah
        • Contact:

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

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Participants aged ≥ 18 years
  • Able to speak and understand English.
  • Has completed an initial clinic-based paracentesis procedure.
  • Confirmed diagnosis of cancer.
  • Symptoms related to ascites requiring procedure in the opinion of the investigator.
  • Eligible to receive an ultrasound-guided paracentesis procedure at home in the opinion of the investigator.
  • If applicable, participant is able to safely hold anticoagulant therapy per institutional standards prior to the procedure in the opinion of the investigator.
  • For participants of child-bearing potential, participant is following standard of care guidelines for contraception.
  • Able to provide informed consent and willing to sign an approved consent form that conforms to federal and institutional guidelines.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Rapidly deteriorating condition or suspected bowel obstruction.
  • Large ventral hernias or prior complications from paracentesis.
  • Need for concurrent procedures requiring hospital resources.
  • Known lack of safe environment or inability to obtain sterile conditions at home.
  • Any condition that would, in the Investigator's judgment, contraindicate the participant's participation in the procedure or clinical study due to safety concerns or compliance with clinical study procedures. For example,
  • Medical, psychiatric, cognitive, or other conditions that may compromise the participant's ability to understand the participant information, give informed consent, comply with the study protocol or complete the study.

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: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group 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: At-home Paracentesis
Participants receive an at-home-based paracentesis procedure, which may occur anytime following confirmation of eligibility.
Procedure: At-home Paracentesis
Paracentesis is a bedside procedure to obtain ascitic fluid from the peritoneum through needle aspiration, performed for both diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. The procedure involves needle insertion into the peritoneal cavity to remove fluid for analysis or to relieve symptoms from tense ascites.

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
The change in the 3-item AIM (Ascites Impact Measure)-TSS (Total Symptom Score) from before at-home paracentesis to after at-home paracentesis.
Time Frame: 3 months

To evaluate the change in symptoms in patients who complete at-home paracentesis.

The AIM survey consists of 3 questions from 0 (No Symptoms) to 5 (Very Severe). A lower score is better. At the end of the study, all the results will be added together for the TSS. A lower score is preferred to show a positive outcome.
3 months

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
The frequency of adverse events (AEs) and serious adverse events (SAEs) characterized by type.
Time Frame: 3 months
To assess the safety and tolerability of at-home paracentesis.
3 months
The frequency of adverse events (AEs) and serious adverse events (SAEs) characterized by severity (as defined by the NIH CTCAE, version 5.0).
Time Frame: 3 months
To assess the safety and tolerability of at-home paracentesis.
3 months
The frequency of adverse events (AEs) and serious adverse events (SAEs) characterized by seriousness.
Time Frame: 3 months
To assess the safety and tolerability of at-home paracentesis.
3 months
The frequency of adverse events (AEs) and serious adverse events (SAEs) characterized by duration.
Time Frame: 3 months
To assess the safety and tolerability of at-home paracentesis.
3 months
The frequency of adverse events (AEs) and serious adverse events (SAEs) characterized by relationship to the study intervention.
Time Frame: 3 months
To assess the safety and tolerability of at-home paracentesis.
3 months
The rate of procedure-related complications, including pain, bleeding, infection, and volume depletion.
Time Frame: 3 months
To assess the rate of procedure-related complications after at-home paracentesis.
3 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.
University of Utah

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: Anna Beck, MD, Huntsman Cancer Institute

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 (Estimated)

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.
August 1, 2026

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.
October 1, 2027

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.
October 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).
March 18, 2026

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.
March 18, 2026

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.
March 24, 2026

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.
August 13, 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.
August 11, 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.
March 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

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.
  • HCI198711

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

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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