Recombinant leukocyte interferon, doxorubicin, and 5FUDR in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma-A phase II trial

To study the combination of 5FUDR, recombinant leukocyte interferon (IFN), and doxorubicin in patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma. IFN was administered at a dose of 6 miu/m(2) subcutaneously followed in 2 h by doxorubicin 20 mg/m(2) intravenously. After doxorubicin, 5FUDR was given as a 24-h infusion at a starting dose of 80 mg/kg. The dose of IFN was escalated to three times a week if tolerated. Both doxorubicin and 5FUDR were administered once weekly. There were 30 patients entered into the study. Among the 30 patients, there were two partial responses (7%) and one patient had stable disease. Toxicity was generally tolerable with fever, and chills, fatigue, and myelosuppression as the most common side effects. This chemotherapy combination was generally well tolerated, but has limited activity in unresectable, advanced hepatocellular carcinoma.