Research and clinical trials for liver cancer
Go to Cancer Research UK’s clinical trials database if you are looking for a trial for liver cancer in the UK. You need to talk to your specialist if there are any trials that you think you might be able to take part in.
When in the trials database, click on ‘recruiting’, ‘closed’ and ‘results’ in the trial status tab to see all the trials.
All cancer treatments must be fully researched before they can be used for everyone. This is so we can be sure that:
they work
they work better than the treatments already available
they are safe
To make sure the research is accurate, each trial has certain entry conditions for who can take part. These are different for each trial.
Hospitals do not take part in every clinical trial. Some trials are only done in a small number of hospitals, or in one area of the country. You may need to travel quite far if you take part in these trials.
Some of the research on this page has now stopped asking people to take part. But it takes time before the results are available. This is because the research teams follow the people taking part for a period of time to collect and analyse the information.
We have included information about these to give examples of the types of research being carried out.
Liver cancer is often diagnosed at a late . This can make it harder to treat. Doctors are looking at ways to diagnose liver cancer at an earlier stage.
A group of researchers have set up the deLIVER programme. This is a group of studies that are looking at ways to find liver cancer earlier. Their studies are for people with liver cancer or an increased of liver cancer and include:
using blood and urine samples to predict who has the highest risk of liver cancer
finding new liver cancer
using different types of scans to detect liver cancer earlier
finding changes to immune cells in the liver
Other research includes looking at very early symptoms of cancer. Researchers are trying to find out if they can diagnose liver cancer with a simple test that people are willing to do. This includes looking at the substances people breathe out to develop a breath test.
Researchers want to:
improve the current treatments we have
develop new treatments
Radiotherapy uses high energy waves similar to x-rays to kill cancer cells. There are different types of radiotherapy used for liver cancer:
stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR) is a type of
selective internal radiotherapy (SIRT) is a type of
Researchers are looking at using different types of scan before, during and after radiotherapy treatment. This may help to:
see how well the treatment is working
reduce the risk of side effects
Read more about radiotherapy for liver cancer
Targeted cancer drugs work by targeting those differences that help a cancer cell to grow and survive. Some seek out and destroy cancer cells. Others help the body's immune system to attack the cancer. So some of these drugs are also called immunotherapies.
There are different types of targeted cancer drugs and immunotherapies. For liver cancer, researchers are looking at these treatments for cancer that has spread. Or before surgery.
Drugs doctors are looking at for liver cancer include:
• AZD5069 • durvalumab • pembrolizumab • lenvatinib • sorafenib
Read more about targeted and immunotherapy drugs for liver cancer
Cancer vaccines are a type of immunotherapy. They help the immune system to recognise and attack cancer cells. One type of vaccine is made from . Doctors are looking at this type of vaccine for liver cancer. They think it might be helpful to have it with chemotherapy and .
Targeted and immunotherapy drugs are usually given on their own for advanced cancer. Researchers are trying to find out if they work better when they are combined with other treatments. Trials are looking at giving these drugs:
before surgery
after surgery
with heat treatment (thermal ablation)
with radiotherapy
with chemoembolisation (TACE)
Last reviewed: 09 Sept 2025
Next review due: 08 Sept 2028
Search for clinical trials with Cancer Research UK. Clinical trials are medical research studies involving people.
Your treatment for liver cancer depends on the stage of your cancer and how well your liver is working. The most common treatments are surgery, heat treatment, drug treatments and radiotherapy.
There is support available to help you cope with a diagnosis of liver cancer, life during treatment and life after cancer.
You usually start by seeing your GP. They might refer you for tests or to a specialist if you have symptoms that could be caused by liver cancer.
Primary liver cancer is cancer that started in the liver. This section is mainly about the most common type of liver cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).
Secondary liver cancer is when a cancer that started somewhere else in the body has spread to the liver. It is also called liver metastases.
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