A phase 2 study of cisplatin in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.

A phase 2 study of cisplatin was performed in 28 previously untreated patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma. The drug was given intravenously at a dose of 80 mg/m2/day every 4 weeks. Of 26 patients evaluated, 4 (15.4%) showed partial responses lasting for > 3 months, while no patient achieved a complete response. Of 22 patients whose serum level of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) was high (> 400 ng/ml) before treatment, 6 (27.3%) showed a > 50% reduction in serum AFP levels after treatment. The current study indicates that cisplatin is an anticancer agent worthy of further testing in patients with this disease.