Peritumoral MRE Stiffness for Predicting Resection Margin Status and Recurrence in Liver Cancer

July 10, 2026 updated by: Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University

A Prospective Study on the Association Between Peritumoral Elasticity Measured by Three-Dimensional Magnetic Resonance Elastography and Pathological Resection Margin Status and Postoperative Recurrence in Patients With Liver Cancer

Microscopic residual tumor at the resection margin is a critical risk factor for recurrence in patients undergoing hepatectomy for liver cancer, yet current detection relies solely on postoperative pathological examination of the resected specimen, which reflects only the removed tissue rather than the actual remnant liver in the patient. How to non-invasively detect residual tumor at the resection margin of the remnant liver after surgery remains an important unresolved problem in the surgical management of liver cancer. We hypothesize that tissue stiffness at the resection margin of the remnant liver, measured by postoperative three-dimensional magnetic resonance elastography (3D-MRE), may reflect microscopic residual tumor and may therefore correlate with pathological resection margin status and be predictive of postoperative tumor recurrence. This study aims to prospectively evaluate the diagnostic performance of postoperative 3D-MRE in detecting residual tumor at the resection margin, using pathological resection margin status as the reference standard, and to further assess its value in predicting tumor recurrence in patients undergoing hepatectomy for liver cancer.

Study Overview

Status

Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Estimated)

150

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

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

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

This study will enroll adult patients with primary or metastatic liver cancer, including hepatocellular carcinoma, intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, or liver metastases (e.g., from colorectal cancer), who undergo curative-intent hepatectomy at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University. Eligible patients will undergo postoperative 3D-MRE examination of the remnant liver and be followed to assess pathological resection margin status and subsequent tumor recurrence. Patients will be consecutively recruited from the hepatobiliary surgery department of the study center.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Age 18-80 years
  • Pathologically confirmed diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma, intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, or liver metastasis (e.g., from colorectal cancer)
  • Underwent curative-intent hepatectomy with available postoperative pathological resection margin assessment
  • Child-Pugh class A or B liver function (for patients with primary liver cancer)
  • Able to undergo 3D-MRE examination at postoperative day 7-14
  • Provision of signed and dated informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Contraindication to MRI (e.g., non-MRI-compatible implants, severe claustrophobia)
  • Palliative or non-curative surgery (R2 resection)
  • Presence of unresectable extrahepatic disease at the time of surgery
  • Reoperation or unplanned return to surgery within 14 days after the initial hepatectomy
  • Severe postoperative complications precluding MRI examination at postoperative day 7-14 (e.g., unstable vital signs, need for intensive care)
  • Death within 14 days after surgery from non-tumor-related causes
  • Prior history of liver resection or liver transplantation
  • Pregnant or breastfeeding women
  • Anticipated poor compliance with postoperative MRE examination or follow-up

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

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Diagnostic performance of postoperative 3D-MRE for detecting residual tumor at the resection margin
Time Frame: Postoperative day 7-14
Sensitivity, specificity, and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of 3D-MRE-derived stiffness parameters at the resection margin of the remnant liver, compared with pathological resection margin status (R0 vs. R1) of the surgical specimen as the reference standard.
Postoperative day 7-14

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Recurrence-Free Survival (RFS)
Time Frame: Up to 2 years after surgery
Time from surgery to radiologically or pathologically confirmed tumor recurrence, or last follow-up if no recurrence occurs
Up to 2 years after surgery
Overall Survival (OS)
Time Frame: Up to 2 years after surgery
Time from surgery to death from any cause
Up to 2 years after surgery
Correlation between 3D-MRE parameters at the resection margin and time to recurrence
Time Frame: Postoperative day 7-14 (MRE); up to 2 years (recurrence follow-up)
Association between quantitative 3D-MRE parameters (e.g., stiffness, damping ratio) measured at postoperative day 7-14 and subsequent time to tumor recurrence
Postoperative day 7-14 (MRE); up to 2 years (recurrence follow-up)
Recurrence pattern (local vs. distant intrahepatic vs. extrahepatic)
Time Frame: Up to 2 years after surgery
Classification of recurrence site and pattern based on imaging follow-up
Up to 2 years after surgery

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University

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)

August 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

October 1, 2029

Study Completion (Estimated)

October 1, 2031

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

July 10, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

July 10, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

July 15, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

July 15, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

July 10, 2026

Last Verified

July 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • XJTUSAH-MRE-002

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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