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The treatment of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) presents a major challenge, because associated cirrhosis limits the choice of chemotherapeutic agents. However, the abundant vascularity of HCC presents an attractive target for antiangiogenic therapy that potentially may be tolerated by cirrhotic patients. The current study was conducted to assess the antitumor activity, treatment tolerance, treatment‐related toxicity, and patient survival after the administration of thalidomide in a Phase II trial.

Thirty‐seven HCC patients were accrued between March, 1999, and March, 2000. Initially, the dose of oral thalidomide was escalated from 400 mg per day during the first week to 1000 mg per day by the fifth week, delivering one‐third of the dose in the morning and the remaining two‐thirds of the dose in the evening prior to bedtime. Changes in the daily drug administration schedule …