INTRODUCTION: Transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE) has been recognized as an effective palliative treatment option for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, no effective alternative treatments for TAE-refractory HCC have yet been established. The aim of this study was to evaluate the antitumor activity and toxicity of transcatheter arterial infusion chemotherapy using an epirubicin-Lipiodol emulsion in patients with TAE-refractory HCC. METHODS: Patients with TAE-refractory HCC were enrolled. A dose of 60 mg/m(2) epirubicin emulsified in Lipiodol and contrast medium was administered from the feeding artery of the HCC. Treatment was repeated every 4 to 12 weeks if there was no evidence of tumor progression or unacceptable toxicity. RESULTS: Twenty patients were enrolled in this trial. The median number of treatment courses was 1 (range 1-4). Among the enrolled patients, one (5%) achieved a partial response, and three (15%) showed a minor response. Five (25%) patients had no change and 11 (55%) showed progressive disease. The median survival time, 1-year survival rate and median progression-free survival time for the patients as a whole were 12.4 months, 52.6%, and 1.1 months, respectively. The main grade 3 and 4 toxicities were leukocytopenia (35%), neutropenia (65%), thrombocytopenia (30%), and elevations of the aspartate aminotransferase (45%) and alanine aminotransferase (35%) levels. These toxicities were generally brief and reversible. CONCLUSION: Transcatheter arterial infusion chemotherapy with an epirubicin-Lipiodol emulsion appears to have only modest activity with moderate toxicity for treatment of patients with TAE-refractory HCC. These findings do not support its use in practice, and further studies with the same regimen in patients with TAE-refractory HCC are not recommended.
INTRODUCTION: Transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE) has been recognized as an effective palliative treatment option for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, no effective alternative treatments for TAE-refractory HCC have yet been established. The aim of this study was to evaluate the antitumor activity and toxicity of transcatheter arterial infusion chemotherapy using an epirubicin-Lipiodol emulsion in patients with TAE-refractory HCC. METHODS:Patients with TAE-refractory HCC were enrolled. A dose of 60 mg/m(2) epirubicin emulsified in Lipiodol and contrast medium was administered from the feeding artery of the HCC. Treatment was repeated every 4 to 12 weeks if there was no evidence of tumor progression or unacceptable toxicity. RESULTS: Twenty patients were enrolled in this trial. The median number of treatment courses was 1 (range 1-4). Among the enrolled patients, one (5%) achieved a partial response, and three (15%) showed a minor response. Five (25%) patients had no change and 11 (55%) showed progressive disease. The median survival time, 1-year survival rate and median progression-free survival time for the patients as a whole were 12.4 months, 52.6%, and 1.1 months, respectively. The main grade 3 and 4 toxicities were leukocytopenia (35%), neutropenia (65%), thrombocytopenia (30%), and elevations of the aspartate aminotransferase (45%) and alanine aminotransferase (35%) levels. These toxicities were generally brief and reversible. CONCLUSION: Transcatheter arterial infusion chemotherapy with an epirubicin-Lipiodol emulsion appears to have only modest activity with moderate toxicity for treatment of patients with TAE-refractory HCC. These findings do not support its use in practice, and further studies with the same regimen in patients with TAE-refractory HCC are not recommended.