How strong is the evidence for stem-cell therapy in Liver Cirrhosis?
ClinicalTrials.gov registrations alone cannot establish how strong the evidence is. Registry activity is relatively mature, with multiple Phase 3/4 registrations: the registry holds 89 records, 27 completed, 7 at Phase 3 or 4, and 3 stopped early (3%). MSC-specific work accounts for 62 of those records. These counts describe research activity and maturity, not benefit, safety or certainty. Snapshot 2026-08-29.
What counts as a real result in Liver Cirrhosis
What matters is transplant-free survival, decompensation events and validated function scores over a year or more, against standard care. Short-term albumin or bilirubin movement responds to nutrition, diuretics and abstinence, so it is a poor stand-alone claim.
What we can say from registrations alone
- Volume: 89 registered studies since 2005.
- Maturity: 7 confirmatory-phase records.
- Delivery: 27 completed; 3 terminated, withdrawn or suspended.
- Scale: median planned enrolment 30 participants, largest 700.
The completed studies
Completed does not mean published, and published does not mean positive. These are the finished records — the starting point for checking whether results ever appeared.
| Study | Phase | Status | Planned n | Lead sponsor | Start |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NCT05080465 — Long Term Follow up Mesenchymal Stem Cell Therapy for Patients Virus-related Liver Cirrhosis | Phase 3 | Completed | 700 | Ukraine Association of Biobank | 2018-12-02 |
| NCT01756794 — Validation of the Procedure of Early Liver Transplantation in Alcoholic Hepatitis Resisting to Medical Treatment | n/a | Completed | 284 | University Hospital, Lille | 2012-12-05 |
| NCT01220492 — Umbilical Cord Mesenchymal Stem Cells for Patients With Liver Cirrhosis | Phase 1, Phase 2 | Completed | 266 | Beijing 302 Hospital | 2009-05 |
| NCT02540382 — Comparison of Covered and Bare Stent in TIPS | n/a | Completed | 258 | Beijing Shijitan Hospital, Capital Medical University | 2006-01 |
| NCT06242405 — Effect of Different Frequencies of Umbilical Cord-mesenchymal Stem Cells Through Peripheral Vein in Patients With ESLD | n/a | Completed | 92 | General Hospital of Shenyang Military Region | 2024-03-05 |
| NCT01875081 — REVIVE(Randomized Exploratory Clinical Trial to Evaluate the Safety and Effectiveness of Stem Cell Product in Alcoholic Liver Cirrhosis Patient) | Phase 2 | Completed | 72 | Pharmicell Co., Ltd. | 2012-11 |
What registrations cannot tell you
Whether results were positive. Whether they were published at all — a large share of registered studies never report outcomes, which biases what the literature appears to show. And whether the product a commercial clinic sells resembles the product studied: cell source, dose, processing and delivery route vary enormously between a registered protocol and an off-protocol injection.
How to use this when someone is selling you a treatment
Ask which specific registered study supports the offer, then compare its intervention description with your quote. If the answer is a general gesture at "Liver Cirrhosis research", you are being sold the field's activity rather than evidence about the product. The Provider Question Builder turns that gap into questions.
Frequently asked
How strong is the evidence for stem-cell therapy in Liver Cirrhosis?
ClinicalTrials.gov registrations alone cannot establish how strong the evidence is. Registry activity is relatively mature, with multiple Phase 3/4 registrations: 89 registered records, 7 at Phase 3/4 and 3 stopped early (2026-08-29).
Has any stem-cell product been approved for this condition?
Look it up at source: regulators publish authorised products and indications. Registration of a trial, a licence to operate a clinic and product approval are three different things.
Why do clinics cite hundreds of studies?
Volume is the cheapest form of credibility. Ask instead for the controlled studies of the specific product, and read what outcome they measured.
Registry and literature counts retrieved 2026-08-29 (ClinicalTrials.gov API v2; PubMed E-utilities). Registration or publication volume measures research activity, not effectiveness or approval. Educational information — not medical advice; verify product, indication, legal pathway and evidence with an independent qualified physician. Page generated 2026-08-29. See our editorial standards.
More on this condition
- Liver Cirrhosis: cell-therapy evidence and registered trials
- How much does stem cell therapy for Liver Cirrhosis cost? (2026)
- Liver Cirrhosis stem cell therapy — your questions answered (2026)
- Liver Cirrhosis: cell-therapy evidence by therapy class
- MSC vs HSCT for Liver Cirrhosis: what the registries show