Chemoembolization Treatment

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Brief Description Primary liver cancer is the 12th leading cause of death in the United States. This invention is a novel drug delivery system that involves use of liposomes for the binding of a systemic liver cancer drug. The disclosed formulation can be used as a chemoembolization treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma and liver cancer. Full Description Liver cancer is an aggressive illness that can occur as hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) or as a metastasis from areas such as the colon, ovaries or stomach. Primary liver cancer is a complication of liver disease and is the 12th leading cause of death in United States. Treatments for liver cancer include surgical removal, systemic chemotherapy, and trans arterial chemoembolization (TACE). The latter method is preferable among a majority (60-80%) of patients with tumors not amenable to surgical removal. TACE is an attractive technique because it not only embolizes the tumor, it also delivers chemotherapeutic agents directly to the tumor site. In order to create more effective treatments with less side effects, researchers at UCI have developed a novel drug delivery system that combines drug-eluting beads with sorafenib, a systemic liver cancer drug that is neither basic or water soluble. The invention involves the use of liposomes to binding sorafenib to the drug-eluting beads. These beads, which can slowly elute the liver cancer drug at the tumor site have the potential to provide superior efficacy compared to DEBDOX, while minimizing the drug’s systemic side effects. This novel drug delivery system can be used as a chemoembolization treatment of HCC and liver cancer. Advantages May provide superior efficacy compared to related techniques, while minimizing toxicity of the loaded chemotherapeutic It delivers a high local concentration of drug to the site of action, while minimizing the side-effects It can act as a high complementary approach to surgery Liposome formulation provides aqueous solubility to sorafenib The disclosed system may provide a new treatment option for both primary and metastatic liver cancer and would significantly increase sales of Nexavar, as well as drug-eluting beads