Treatment Information

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Liver Cancer treatment details. Chemotherapy, Immunotherapy.

The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, United States.

Survival: monthsCountry:United States
Toxiciy Grade:4City/State/Province:Houston, Texas
Treatments:Chemotherapy, ImmunotherapyHospital:The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center
Drugs:Journal:Link
Date:Feb 2003

Description:

Patients: This Phase II trial involved 43 patients. Thirty-four had hepatocellular carcinoma and nine had fibrolamellar hepatocellular carcinoma. All had metastatic disease (TNM stages IV, IVB, IIIA, IIIB). According to the authors No patients were candidates for surgical resection.

Treatment: The treatment consisted of continuous intravenous fluorouracil (adrucil) and subcutaneous recombinant interferon Alfa-2b.

Toxicity: Approximately 9% of patients had grade 3-4 neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, or anemia. Other grade 3-4 toxicities included: mucositis, fatigue, and skin reactions.

Results: Subsequent to this therapy, three patients underwent surgical resection for their tumors and a fourth patient underwent orthotopic liver transplant. All four patients are hepatocellular patients and are alive and free of disease at the time the article was submitted for publication.

The median survival for all patients was 19.5 months. The median survival for the hepatocellular carcinoma patients was 15.5 months and the median survival for the fibrolamellar hepatocellular carcinoma patients was 23.1 months.

Support: This study was supported in part by a grant from Schering Plough, Inc. and McKinley Medical. Schering Plough, Inc manufactures recombinant interferon Alfa-2b

Correspondence: Yehuda Z. Patt, MD




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