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Chemotherapy for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma Adriamycin versus quadruple chemotherapy
Author(s) -
Choi Tat Kuen,
Lee Nim Wang,
Wong John
Publication year - 1984
Publication title -
cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.052
H-Index - 304
eISSN - 1097-0142
pISSN - 0008-543X
DOI - 10.1002/1097-0142(19840201)53:3<401::aid-cncr2820530306>3.0.co;2-l
Subject(s) - medicine , chemotherapy , cyclophosphamide , vincristine , methotrexate , hepatocellular carcinoma , gastroenterology , fluorouracil , doxorubicin , surgery , carcinoma , oncology
In a prospective clinical trial, 39 patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma were randomized to receive either Adriamycin (20 patients) or a combination of 5‐fluorouracil, methotrexate, cyclophosphamide, and vincristine (19 patients). Five patients receiving Adriamycin and none receiving quadruple chemotherapy responded ( P < 0.05 in favor of Adriamycin). A further 25 patients were treated with Adriamycin, making a total of 45. The overall objective response rate was 24% (11 patients), with 3 complete remissions and 8 partial remissions. The median survival for Adriamycin‐treated patients (13.0 weeks for the first 20 patients and 14.4 weeks for all patients) was longer than those treated by quadruple chemotherapy (6.5 weeks). The difference, however, was not significant by the Wilcoxan test as modified by Gehan. Patients with positive HbsAg had a significantly higher chance of having a response, while serum alpha‐fetoprotein levels did not correlate with response.