Lyso-thermosensitive liposomal doxorubicin: an adjuvant to increase the cure rate of radiofrequency ablation in liver cancer

• Published in: Future oncology (London, England) Vol. 7; no. 8; pp. 937 - 945
• Main Authors: Poon, Ronnie TP, Borys, Nicholas
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Future Medicine Ltd 01.08.2011
• Subjects: Antibiotics, Antineoplastic - adverse effects; Antibiotics, Antineoplastic - pharmacokinetics; Antibiotics, Antineoplastic - therapeutic use; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular - drug therapy; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular - surgery; Care and treatment; Catheter Ablation; Chemotherapy, Adjuvant; Clinical Trials as Topic; Doxorubicin; Doxorubicin - adverse effects; Doxorubicin - pharmacokinetics; Doxorubicin - therapeutic use; Health aspects; hepatocellular carcinoma; Humans; Liver cancer; Liver Neoplasms - drug therapy; Liver Neoplasms - surgery; lyso-thermosensitive liposomal doxorubicin; Radiofrequency ablation; Treatment Outcome; United States
• ISSN: 1479-6694; 1744-8301; 1744-8301
• DOI: 10.2217/fon.11.73

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fourth leading cause of cancer death worldwide. No more than 30% of HCC patients are considered suitable for curative treatment because of tumor size and severity of liver impairment, among other factors. Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) monotherapy can cure small (<3 cm) HCC tumors. An adjuvant that interacts synergistically with RFA might enable curative therapy for many HCC patients with lesions >3 cm. Lyso-thermosensitive liposomal doxorubicin (LTLD) consists of the heat-enhanced cytotoxic doxorubicin within a heat-activated liposome. LTLD is infused intravenously prior to RFA. When heated to >39.5°°C, LTLD releases doxorubicin in high concentrations into the tumor and the tumor margins. The RFA plus LTLD combination has shown a statistically significant dose-–response effect for time to treatment failure in a Phase I trial in which most subjects (62.5%) had tumors >3 cm. RFA plus LTLD is currently being evaluated in a 600-patient randomized, double-blind, dummy-controlled trial.