Similar effects of recombinant interferon-α-2b and natural interferon-α when combined with intra-arterial 5-fluorouracil for the treatment of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma

Aim: Intra-arterial 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) plus interferon (IFN) combination therapy is effective against advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with portal vein tumour thrombosis. In this study, we compared the efficiency and safety of recombinant IFN-alpha-2 beta with natural IFN-alpha as components of the combination therapy. Methods: Consecutive HCC patients (n = 31) with portal vein tumour thrombosis were enrolled in this prospective study. They received combination therapy of 5-FU and either recombinant IFN-alpha-2b (R group, n = 15) or natural IFN-alpha ( N group, n = 16). We compared the two groups for the early response rate, adverse reactions, time to progression (TTP) and survival rates. In addition, we assessed the cost-effectiveness of each protocol. Results: The early response rate ( R: 26.7%, N: 31.2%), median TTP ( R: 5.8 months, N: 5.6 months) and median survival time ( R: 7.5 months, N: 6.5 months) were not significantly different between the R and N groups. There were no differences in adverse reactions between the two groups. The estimated cost-effectiveness ratio of recombinant IFN-alpha-2b was better than natural IFN-alpha. Conclusions: In our protocol of combination therapy, there were no significant differences between recombinant IFN-alpha-2b and natural IFN-alpha with regard to early response to therapy, adverse effects, TTP and survival rates. 5-FU could be combined with either recombinant IFN-alpha-2b or natural IFN-alpha, although the cost-effectiveness of the former warrants its use clinically.