Treatment Information

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Liver Cancer treatment details. Biologic therapy.

Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taoyuan, Taiwan Region.

Survival: monthsCountry:Taiwan Region
Toxiciy Grade:5City/State/Province:Taoyuan
Treatments:Biologic therapyHospital:Chang Gung Memorial Hospital
Drugs:Journal:Link
Date:Sep 2010

Description:

Patients:
This study involved 71 patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma. The median patient age was 55 years and 83.1% were male.

Treatment:
Patients in this study were given the biologic therapy agent pegylated arginine deiminase, or ADI-PEG 20, which targets an amino acid needed for cancer cell growth.

Toxicities:
Two deaths that may or may not have been caused by treatment were reported in this study. These were due to esophageal bleeding and hepatic decompensation (failure of the liver to heal). Otherwise, grade 3 or 4 toxicities included anemia (1.4% of patients), fatigue (1.4%), and hyperuricemia (5.6%).

Results:
The median overall survival reported in this study was 7.3 months.

Support:
Some of the authors of this study receive funding from or are employed by Polaris Pharmaceuticals, makers of ADI-PEG 20.

Correspondence: Dr. L. T. Chen; email: [email protected]



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