Combined Therapy for Liver Cancer with Portal Vein Thrombosis
Author Information
Author(s): Ota H, Nagano H, Sakon M, Eguchi H, Kondo M, Yamamoto T, Nakamura M, Damdinsuren B, Wada H, Marubashi S, Miyamoto A, Dono K, Umeshita K, Nakamori S, Wakasa K, Monden M
Primary Institution: Department of Surgery and Clinical Oncology, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University
Hypothesis
Does the expression of type 1 interferon receptor influence the response to combination therapy of interferon-α and 5-fluorouracil in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma?
Conclusion
The study found that interferon-α and 5-fluorouracil combination therapy is effective for advanced liver cancer with portal vein thrombosis, and its effectiveness is significantly associated with the expression of the interferon receptor.
Supporting Evidence
- 43.6% of patients showed an objective response to the treatment.
- Median overall survival was 11.8 months for the treated patients.
- IFNAR2 expression was found in 69.2% of patients who underwent immunohistochemical analysis.
Takeaway
Doctors used a special treatment for patients with liver cancer that had spread to the veins, and it worked better for some patients based on a specific marker in their tumors.
Methodology
This was a single-arm open-label study where 55 patients with advanced HCC and portal vein thrombosis received combination therapy of interferon-α and 5-fluorouracil.
Potential Biases
Potential selection bias due to the exclusion of patients who did not consent to participate.
Limitations
The study was limited to a single institution and had a relatively small sample size.
Participant Demographics
The median age of participants was 58.2 years, with a majority being male (49 out of 55).
Statistical Information
P-Value
0.0002
Statistical Significance
p<0.0001
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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