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Efficacy of combination chemotherapy with capecitabine plus cisplatin in patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma

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Abstract

Purpose

The aim was to assess the efficacy and safety of capecitabine (X) plus cisplatin (P) in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Methods

We retrospectively analyzed the data of 178 assessable among 195 consecutive HCC patients ineligible for curative therapy who were treated with XP at the National Cancer Center Korea between January 2002 and July 2007.

Results

One patient (0.5%) had modified UICC stage II tumors, 12 (6.7%) had stage III, 51 (28.7%) had stage IVa, and 114 (64.1%) had stage IVb. The overall response rate was 19.7%, and 45.0% achieved tumor growth control. Tumor response and disease stability were significantly higher in patients with serum α-FP < 400 ng/mL, those with CLIP score ≤ 2, and those with a uninodular intrahepatic tumor or no residual intrahepatic tumor with extrahepatic tumors alone (P < 0.05). The median time to progression (TTP) and median overall survival were 2.8 months (95% CI 2.5–3.1 months) and 10.5 months (95% CI 7.9–13.1 months), respectively. Multivariate analyses showed that a uninodular or no residual intrahepatic tumor (hazard ratio, 0.524; P = 0.006) and female gender (hazard ratio, 0.539; P = 0.019) were independent predictors affecting TTP. Gastrointestinal symptoms were the most common grade 3 and 4 toxicities.

Conclusions

Although XP chemotherapy produced moderate survival outcomes in advanced HCC patients, it was efficacious in the treatment of HCC patients with a uninodular or no residual intrahepatic tumor, especially women, regardless of extrahepatic tumor status.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Liver Cancer, National Cancer Center, 809 Madu 1-dong, Ilsan-gu, Goyang, Gyeonggi, 411-769, South Korea

    Ju Hyun Shim, Joong-Won Park, Woo Jin Lee & Chang-Min Kim

  2. Cancer Biostatistics Branch, National Cancer Center, Goyang, South Korea

    Byung Ho Nam

Authors
  1. Ju Hyun Shim
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  2. Joong-Won Park
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  3. Byung Ho Nam
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  4. Woo Jin Lee
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  5. Chang-Min Kim
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Joong-Won Park.

Additional information

This work was supported by National Cancer Center, Korea (Grant #0810260-1).

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Shim, J.H., Park, JW., Nam, B.H. et al. Efficacy of combination chemotherapy with capecitabine plus cisplatin in patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma. Cancer Chemother Pharmacol 63, 459–467 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00280-008-0759-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00280-008-0759-x

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