Branched-chain Amino Acid Supplementation for Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Summary

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fifth most common cause of cancer death among men. While several new treatment options have recently become available, they are costly and have a potential for significant, adverse side effects. Many patients diagnosed with HCC also suffer from underlying liver disease, including cirrhosis. As many as 80-90% of patients diagnosed with HCC also have cirrhosis. Protein-energy malnutrition (PEM) in cirrhosis is as high as 65-90% and significantly increases the risk of morbidity and mortality as well as decreased quality of life. Branched-chain amino acid (BCAA) supplementation has been extensively studied for usefulness in liver disease, specifically to treat hepatic encephalopathy to and preserve and restore muscle mass. Maintenance of liver function and prevention of PEM are essential for improving outcomes in patients with HCC. Branched-chain amino acid supplementation in HCC has been studied extensively in China \& Japan with multiple studies showing improvements in liver function, progression-free survival, and overall survival. Additionally, patients in treatment groups have shown improvement in quality of life indicators. However, these results have yet to be replicated in the United States. Branched-chain amino acid supplementation may be a safe, low-cost approach to improve survival, liver function indicators, and quality of life for patients diagnosed with HCC. In this study, patients with primary HCC will be randomized to either a treatment group, which will receive standard of care and BCAA supplement or to a control group which will receive standard of care and a maltodextrin placebo. Both groups will receive liver-directed therapy including transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) and thermal ablation. All patients will complete a quality of life survey (FACT-Hep) at each visit.

Timeline

Start

2021-06-01

Primary completion

2022-12-30

Completion

2023-12-30

Outcome

Outcome not reported

Stopped: “Dr. Marshall left UMC and LSU Health Sciences Center.”

Publications

• Results Takeda H, Nishikawa H, Iguchi E, Ohara Y, Sakamoto A, Saito S, Nishijima N, Nasu A, Komekado H, Kita R, Kimura T, Osaki Y. Effect of treatment with branched-chain amino acids during sorafenib therapy for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma. Hepatol Res. 2014 Mar;44(3):302-12. doi: 10.1111/hepr.12125. Epub 2013 Apr 29.
• Results Nojiri S, Fujiwara K, Shinkai N, Iio E, Joh T. Effects of branched-chain amino acid supplementation after radiofrequency ablation for hepatocellular carcinoma: A randomized trial. Nutrition. 2017 Jan;33:20-27. doi: 10.1016/j.nut.2016.07.013. Epub 2016 Aug 8.
• Results Imanaka K, Ohkawa K, Tatsumi T, Katayama K, Inoue A, Imai Y, Oshita M, Iio S, Mita E, Fukui H, Yamada A, Nakanishi F, Inada M, Doi Y, Suzuki K, Kaneko A, Marubashi S, Ito Y, Fukui K, Sakamori R, Yakushijin T, Hiramatsu N, Hayashi N, Takehara T; Osaka Liver Forum. Impact of branched-chain amino acid supplementation on survival in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma treated with sorafenib: A multicenter retrospective cohort study. Hepatol Res. 2016 Sep;46(10):1002-10. doi: 10.1111/hepr.12640. Epub 2016 Jan 26.
• Results Chen L, Chen Y, Wang X, Li H, Zhang H, Gong J, Shen S, Yin W, Hu H. Efficacy and safety of oral branched-chain amino acid supplementation in patients undergoing interventions for hepatocellular carcinoma: a meta-analysis. Nutr J. 2015 Jul 9;14:67. doi: 10.1186/s12937-015-0056-6.
• Results Au KP, Chan SC, Chok KS, Chan AC, Cheung TT, Ng KK, Lo CM. Child-Pugh Parameters and Platelet Count as an Alternative to ICG Test for Assessing Liver Function for Major Hepatectomy. HPB Surg. 2017;2017:2948030. doi: 10.1155/2017/2948030. Epub 2017 Aug 29.
• Results Chernyak V, Fowler KJ, Kamaya A, Kielar AZ, Elsayes KM, Bashir MR, Kono Y, Do RK, Mitchell DG, Singal AG, Tang A, Sirlin CB. Liver Imaging Reporting and Data System (LI-RADS) Version 2018: Imaging of Hepatocellular Carcinoma in At-Risk Patients. Radiology. 2018 Dec;289(3):816-830. doi: 10.1148/radiol.2018181494. Epub 2018 Sep 25.
• Results Gmur A, Kolly P, Knopfli M, Dufour JF. FACT-Hep increases the accuracy of survival prediction in HCC patients when added to ECOG Performance Status. Liver Int. 2018 Aug;38(8):1468-1474. doi: 10.1111/liv.13711. Epub 2018 Feb 20.

Drugs

Indications