title: Systemic chemo-immunotherapy for advanced-stage hepatocellular carcinoma.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of systemic chemo-immunotherapy for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-six patients with advanced HCC were treated by using systemic chemo-immunotherapy (PIAF regimen), which consisted of cisplatin (20 mg/m2) intravenously daily for 4 consecutive day, doxorubicin (40 mg/m2) intravenously on day 1, 5-fluorouracil (400 mg/m2) intravenously daily for 4 consecutive day, and human recombinant alpha-interferon-2a (5 MU/m2) subcutaneous injection daily for 4 consecutive day. The treatment was repeated every 3 wk, with a maximum of six cycles.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 90 cycles of PIAF treatment were administered, with a mean number of 3.9 cycles per patient. Eight patients received six cycles of treatment (group A), and the remaining 18 were subjected to two to five cycles (group B). There were 0 complete responses, 4 partial responses, 9 static diseases and 13 progressive diseases, with a disease control rate of 50% (13/26). The 1-year survival rate was 24.3%, with a median survival time of 6.0 mo. Group A had a remarkably better survival as compared with group B, the 1- and 2-year survival rates were 62.5% vs 6.1% and 32.3% vs 0%, and a median survival time was 12.5 mo vs 5.0 mo (P = 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Systemic chemo-immunotherapy using PIAF regimen represented an effective treatment and could improve the survival rate and prolong the survival time in selected patients with advanced HCC.
authors.affiliation: Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510080, Guangdong Province, China. yinxy@21cn.com
authors.forename: Xiao-Yu
authors.initials: XY
authors.lastname: Yin
authors.forename: Ming-De
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Lü
authors.forename: Li-Jian
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.forename: Jia-Ming
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Lai
authors.forename: Dong-Ming
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Ming
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kuang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D002945:Cisplatin / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D004317:Doxorubicin / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D005260:Female; D005472:Fluorouracil / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D006801:Humans; D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D015996:Survival Rate; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D004317:Doxorubicin; D002945:Cisplatin; D005472:Fluorouracil