MedifocusHealth

The high rates of cancer recurrence following surgery for localized, resectable liver cancer, estimated to range from 80% to 90%, has prompted the search for newer and potentially more effective systemic treatments. A variety of novel systemic therapies are currently being investigated for both localized, resectable liver cancer as well as for advanced-stage disease. Some of these novel systemic therapies currently under investigation include:

Recombinant Interferon Therapy

A study published in 2003 in the Annals of Internal Medicine reported that interferon therapy improved survival in patients with liver cancer and Hepatitis C infection. A summary of this article can be viewed at http://www.annals.org/cgi/content/abstract/138/4/299

Retinoids

Retinoids are drug derivatives of Vitamin A that are used clinically for the treatment of severe acne and psoriasis. A study published in 1996 in the New England Journal of Medicine by a group of researchers from Japan reported that treatment with oral polyprenoic acid (a retinoid) prevented the recurrence of liver cancer in 89 patients who underwent either surgical resection or percutaneous ethanol injection as the primary treatment for their liver cancer. The article abstract can be viewed at http://www.medifocus.com/abstracts.asp?gid=OC031&ID=8628336

Cellular Therapy

• Adoptive Immunotherapy - This is a form of immunotherapy used for the treatment of certain cancers in which a patient's white blood cells are exposed to specific growth factors to increase their ability to recognize and destroy cancer cells. Adoptive immunotherapy for the treatment of liver cancer currently focuses on activating the patients own white blood cells with interleukin-2 and anti-CD3 antibodies. A study published in 2000 in the British journal The Lancet reported that adoptive immunotherapy was a safe treatment that could lower recurrence of liver cancer after surgery. The abstract of this article can be viewed at http://www.medifocus.com/abstracts.asp?gid=OC031&ID=11022927

• Vaccines - The theory behind this approach is that a vaccine consisting of the patient's white blood cells that is exposed to and mixed with specific tumor proteins will activate the white blood cells to recognize and destroy the cancer cells. One approach currently under investigation is the use of an autologous formalin-fixed tumor vaccine to prevent recurrence of liver cancer following surgical resection. A study published in 2004 in Clinical Cancer Research concluded that an autologous formalin-fixed tumor vaccine was both safe and effective for the prevention of recurrence of liver cancer following surgical resection. The abstract of this article can be viewed at http://www.medifocus.com/abstracts.asp?gid=OC031&ID=15014006

Pravastatin

A study published in 2001 in the British Journal of Cancer reported that the statin drug pravastatin (Pravachol), prolonged the survival of patients with advanced-stage liver cancer. The abstract of this article can be viewed at http://www.medifocus.com/abstracts.asp?gid=OC031&ID=11286466

Chemotherapy

As mentioned previously, most of the commonly used anticancer drugs, either alone or in combination, have been shown to have a minimal impact in terms of prolonging survival in patients with advanced-stage liver cancer. Research is ongoing to investigate the use of other chemotherapeutic drugs that may prove to be more effective for slowing the rate of progression of liver cancer. Some of the drugs being investigated include: