A randomized trial of intrahepatic arterial infusion of 4'-epidoxorubicin with Lipiodol versus 4'-epidoxorubicin alone in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma

• Published in: Cancer chemotherapy and pharmacology Vol. 33 Suppl; p. S149
• Main Authors: Yoshikawa, M, Saisho, H, Ebara, M, Iijima, T, Iwama, S, Endo, F, Kimura, M, Shimamura, Y, Suzuki, Y, Nakano, T
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Germany 01.01.1994
• Subjects: Aged; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular - drug therapy; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular - mortality; Emulsions; Epirubicin - administration & dosage; Epirubicin - therapeutic use; Female; Humans; Infusions, Intra-Arterial; Iodized Oil - administration & dosage; Liver Neoplasms - drug therapy; Liver Neoplasms - mortality; Male; Middle Aged; Prospective Studies; Survival Rate
• ISSN: 0344-5704
• DOI: 10.1007/BF00686689

We conducted a prospective randomized trial to evaluate the efficacy of Lipiodol in intrahepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). A total of 38 patients with unresectable HCCs and underlying cirrhosis were entered in this trial, and 36 of them were evaluable. Every 4 weeks, 17 patients received 70 mg of 4'-epidoxorubicin (epirubicin) alone (group A), whereas 19 patients received a Lipiodol emulsion containing the same dose of epirubicin (group B) through the hepatic artery. A tumor response (CR+PR) was observed in 12% of group A patients and in 42% of group B patients. The group B patients showed a significantly higher response rate than the group A patients. There was a tendency for an increased duration of survival (P = 0.09) in the group B patients. These results suggested that the infusion of the Lipiodol emulsion with epirubicin was more effective than epirubicin alone for the treatment of these patients with HCC.