Phase II study of high-dose ifosfamide in hepatocellular carcinoma

A phase II study of high-dose ifosfamide in hepatocellular carcinoma was conducted among 17 Chinese patients. The dose of ifosfamide used was 2.5 g/m2 daily given as a continuous infusion for 5 days. In all, 15 patients were evaluable for tumour response. There was no complete or partial responder. The treatment was well tolerated. The most frequent toxicity was alopecia, which occurred in 11 patients, and 5 patients developed mild haematological toxicity. There was no evidence of liver or bladder toxicity. Overall, 14 patients were evaluable for survival. The median survival was 92 days (range, 30-568 days). We conclude that high-dose ifosfamide is well tolerated but ineffective in hepatocellular carcinoma in Chinese patients.