Phase I Dose-Escalation Study of Tirapazamine Chemoembolization for Unresectable Early- and Intermediate-Stage Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Purpose: To investigate the safety of replacing doxorubicin with tirapazamine in conventional transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) in an Asian population with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and to determine the optimal tirapazamine dose for phase II studies. Materials and Methods: This was a phase I, 3 + 3 dose-escalation study for patients with unresectable early- and intermediate-stage HCC who received 5, 10, or 20 mg/m2 of intra-arterial (IA) tirapazamine followed by ethiodized oil/gelatin sponge-based embolization. Key eligibilities included HCCs no more than 10 cm in diameter, prior embolization allowed, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 0 or 1, Child-Pugh score of 5–7, and platelet count of ≥60,000 μL. Dose-limiting toxicity (DLT) was defined as any grade 3 nonhematological or grade 4 hematological toxicity, with the exception of transient elevation of aminotransferase levels after the procedure. Results: Seventeen patients were enrolled, 59% of whom had progression from a prior HCC therapy and 35% of whom had progression or recurrence after TACE. All patients tolerated the tirapazamine TACE well without any DLT or serious adverse event. Using the modified Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors, the complete response (CR) rate was 47%, and the CR + partial response rate was 65%. The median duration of response was not reached. The median time to progression was 12.6 months (95% confidence interval, 5.1–not reached). The median overall survival was 29.3 months. The selected phase II dose was set at a fixed dose of 35 mg of IA tirapazamine. Conclusions: IA tirapazamine with transarterial embolization was well tolerated and showed promising efficacy signals in intermediate-stage HCC, justifying pursuit of a phase II study.