Nutritional optimisation in HCC and advanced liver disease patients
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Oral nutritional optimisation and its impact on clinical outcomes and health-related quality of life for patients with advanced chronic liver disease and hepatocellular carcinoma
IRAS ID
363782
Contact name
Sarah Pountain
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 8 months, 1 days
Research summary
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common form of liver cancer and has a poor prognosis with 10-18% of patients with HCC surviving to 5 years. Nearly all patients who are diagnosed with HCC have underlying liver disease. Many of these patients have advanced liver disease (cirrhosis) and their poor liver function prevents the use of current licensed treatment options. Poor liver function and being unable to receive treatment significantly impacts survival of patients with HCC. Malnutrition is seen in many patients with advanced liver disease and cancer and associated with poor outcomes and given this it is likely to be even more highly present in patients with both advanced liver disease and liver cancer. There is evidence that optimising the nutrition of advanced liver disease patients with poor liver function can improve their liver function and survival. It is likely that patients with HCC and poor liver function may also improve liver function through nutritional optimisation, potential access to treatments and survival.
This study aims to evaluate established practice in the HCC clinic at the Queen Elizabeth hospital, Birmingham, to observe the impact of nutritional optimisation of patients with advanced liver disease and HCC who are unable to receive treatment due to their current liver function. Dietetic services already directly integrated into the HCC services enables a novel platform for this study. Using established clinical measurements and questionnaires undertaken at regular intervals over 8 months throughout the study, the study aims to evaluate the clinical changes and outcomes, the health-related quality of life and dietetics experiences of these patients. This study aims to identify patients’ specific factors and plan approaches to address them in a patient group in which evidence is currently lacking and will provide further insight to facilitate further research to address this understudied patient cohort.
REC name
London - Camden & Kings Cross Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
25/PR/1742
Date of REC Opinion
19 Feb 2026
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion