Nine months to progression using fourth-line liposomally encapsulated paclitaxel against hepatocellular carcinoma

Abstract

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the third most common cause of cancer deaths. Difficulties to diagnose HCC at early stages remain the major obstacle to curative (surgical) therapy. Therapy in advanced stages has to be considered palliative. In this situation, a considerable amount of attention should be paid to innovative treatment strategies, e.g. including antiangiogenetic drugs. Results: We report on the successful treatment of a patient suffering from progressive HCC with a novel drug (EndoTAG®-1, formerly named LipoPac®) currently investigated in phase II studies. This drug consists of liposomally encapsulated paclitaxel. Its liposomal formulation favors the drug's adherence to the tumor neovasculature, in effect starving the tumor. Conclusions: EndoTAG®-1 stopped tumor progression for 9 months in our patient. This, along with successes observed testing this drug against other indications, makes it a suitable candidate for future clinical trials. Copyright © 2008 S. Karger AG.