4'Epioxorubicin (Epirubicin): Activity in hepatocellular carcinoma

Doxorubicin provides the most consistent response rate inn hepatocellular carcinoma. We therefore initiated a trial with its analog 4'epidoxorubicin. Eighteen patients, all without prior treatment, were given the drug as a single agent every 3 weeks with dose escalation whenever possible. Five patients were treated by six-hour infusion and 13 by intravenous (IV) bolus injection, with the median dose being 90 mg/m². The patients were of diverse ethnic background and included some with underlying cirrhosis and hepatitis B surface antigenemia. Three patients had partial remissions (6, 12, 48 weeks) for a response rate of 17%. Four patients also had prolonged stable disease (14, 26, 27, 38 weeks). Toxicity was mild, although cardiac toxicity developed in three patients at 685, 825, and 1,460 mg/m² cumulative dose. The response to 4'epidoxorubicin in this study appears to be equivalent to the reported response rates for doxorubicin, with decreased toxicity.