Hepatic Arterial Infusion Chemotherapy for Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Japan

Cancers

Hiroki Nishikawa¹  Yukio Osaki²  Ryuichi Kita² 

[1] Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Osaka Red Cross Hospital, 5-30 Fudegasaki-cho, Tennoji-ku, Osaka 543-0027, Japan;

关键词: advanced hepatocellular carcinoma;    chemotherapy;    hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy;    sorafenib;    response rate;   

DOI  :  10.3390/cancers4010165

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

Transcatheter methods such as transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) and hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy (HAIC) have an important role in the treatment for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Recently, sorafenib, an inhibitor of tyrosine kinases, has been found to obtain survival benefits in patients with HCC, leading to major advances in the treatment of advanced HCC. However, it is associated with a low tumor response rate, minimal survival advantage, and high rates of adverse events. On the other hand, high rates of objective treatment response with HAIC for advanced HCC have been reported, although convincing evidence of it contributing to overall survival in HAIC has been lacking. In Japan, HAIC still tends to be the preferred method for the treatment of advanced HCC, even in patients with poor liver function. However, the choice of chemotherapeutic agents in TACE/HAIC for HCC varies between institutions. In this review, based on studies reported to date in the literature, we refer to current knowledge regarding the chemotherapeutic agents used for TACE/HAIC for HCC in Japan and consider the future perspectives for HAIC for this cancer.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2012 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.