Abstract
Twenty-nine chemotherapy-naive patients with primary hepatocellular carcinoma were treated with oral β-all trans-retinoic acid (retinoic acid, TRA 50 mg/m2 tid) on a 3-week on/one week off schedule until progression or grade 3 or 4 toxicity. Eligibility requirements allowed abnormal liver function tests as long as the creatinine and bilirubin levels were normal. No responses were seen and the median survival was four months. Grade 3 side effects occurred in 11 patients and grade 4 in four and included a wide range of toxicities. The results indicate that oral TRA is ineffective against primary hepatocellular carcinoma and suggest that dose-modification of this retinoid may be required in patients with significant malignant hepatic involvement.
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Meyskens, F.L., Jacobson, J., Nguyen, B. et al. Phase II trial of oral β-all trans-retinoic acid in hepatocellular carcinoma (SWOG 9157). Invest New Drugs 16, 171–173 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1006032706362
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1006032706362