Korean J Intern Med.  2006 Dec;21(4):225-229. 10.3904/kjim.2006.21.4.225.

Thalidomide for Treating Metastatic Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Pilot Study

• Han SH
• Park SH
• Kim JH
• Lee JJ
• Kwon SY
• Kwon OS
• Kim SS
• Kim JH
• Kim KK
• Park YH
• Lee JN
• Nam E
• Bang SM
• Cho EK
• Shin DB
• Lee JH

• KMID: 759855
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3904/kjim.2006.21.4.225

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Thalidomide has been reported to have antitumor activity for treating metastatic hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We evaluated the safety and efficacy of using thalidomide for treating selected patients with unresectable or metastatic HCC, and their disease was refractory to systemic chemotherapy. METHODS: Eight patients with measurable and metastatic HCC that had progressed with prior systemic chemotherapy and who desired further active therapy were enrolled in this study. Thalidomide was given orally at bedtime and it was started at 200 mg/day with no further dose escalation. The response was measured at 2-month intervals. RESULTS: The median age was 44 years (range: 34-52 years) and all the patients had received doxorubicin-based systemic chemotherapy prior to their enrollment. Each patient received thalidomide for a median of 152 days (range: 5-422 days). One partial response was observed (12.5%, 95% CI; 0-42%) along with 4 cases of stable diseases. The most commonly encountered toxicity was somnolence; grade 3 somnolence was noted for one patient, which led to treatment discontinuation. Skin rash was observed in one responding patient. CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate that thalidomide may feasibly offer disease stabilization to metastatic HCC patients. Further dose escalation of thalidomide, or its combination with other chemotherapeutic agents, may be of interest and this should be investigated for treating patients with metastatic HCC.

Keyword

Carcinoma; Hepatocellular; Thalidomide

MeSH Terms

Treatment Outcome
Thalidomide/*therapeutic use
Retrospective Studies
Pilot Projects
Middle Aged
Male
Lymphatic Metastasis
Lung Neoplasms/drug therapy/*secondary
Liver Neoplasms/*drug therapy/pathology
Immunosuppressive Agents/*therapeutic use
Humans
Follow-Up Studies
Female
Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/*drug therapy/secondary
Bone Neoplasms/drug therapy/*secondary
Adult