Abstract
Background. Thalidomide, an anti-angiogenic agent, does not have a good therapeutic effect for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma when used alone. Megestrol and interleukin-2 have been proposed as a palliative treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma. Aims. We assessed the effectiveness/safety of a combined therapy with thalidomide + megestrol + interleukin-2 in cirrhotic patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma. Patients and methods. Nine cirrhotic patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma received oral megestrol (160 mg/day) and thalidomide (from 50 mg/day to the maximal tolerated dose). Four patients also received subcutaneous interleukin-2 (1 million U/day for 21 days/month). Results. The maximal tolerated dose of thalidomide was 150 mg/day. All patients complained of sedation and other neurological or digestive adverse effects. In all but one patient the adverse effects disappeared after thalidomide withdrawal or dose reduction. Interleukin-2 administration caused a flu-like syndrome and a reaction at the injection site. During treatment, alpha-fetoprotein increased in six patients, remained stable in two and decreased in one. Eight patients showed tumour progression and one had a stable disease. Eight patients died. The median survival was 9.9 (range 2.6–18.6) months. Conclusion. In cirrhotic patients, the combined treatment with thalidomide + megestrol (±interleukin-2) does not control hepatocellular carcinoma growth, possibly due to the low tolerance to thalidomide and interleukin-2 preventing the use of appropriate dosages.
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