ArticleHepatology international2009
A randomized controlled trial of thymalfasin plus transarterial chemoembolization for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma.
Article in Hepatology international, 2009. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
14 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 26 citations in OpenAlex.
- Management of people with intermediate-stage hepatocellular carcinoma: an attempted network meta-analysis.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2017Pooled it
- Thymic peptides for treatment of cancer patients.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2011Pooled it
- Surgical treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma: expert consensus statement.HPB : the official journal of the International Hepato Pancreato Biliary Association · 2010Guideline
- Thymostimulin versus placebo for palliative treatment of locally advanced or metastasised hepatocellular carcinoma: a phase III clinical trial.BMC cancer · 2010Trial
- Clinical Applications and Evidence Landscape of Thymosin Alpha 1 as an Immunomodulatory Adjunct in Cancer Care: A Scoping Review.Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- IL-15 Plus Thymosin α1 Reduces Senescent Hepatic CD8Journal of gastroenterology and hepatology · 2026Article
- Recent advances and applications of peptide-agent conjugates for targeting tumor cells.Journal of cancer research and clinical oncology · 2023Review
- [Status Quo and Development of Immunotherapy for Hepatocellular Carcinoma].Sichuan da xue xue bao. Yi xue ban = Journal of Sichuan University. Medical science edition · 2023Review
- Thymus-derived hormonal and cellular control of cancer.Frontiers in endocrinology · 2023Review
- A Reappraisal of Thymosin Alpha1 in Cancer Therapy.Frontiers in oncology · 2019Review
- Multidisciplinary management of recurrent and metastatic hepatocellular carcinoma after resection: an international expert consensus.Hepatobiliary surgery and nutrition · 2018Review
- Thymalfasin, a promising adjuvant therapy in small hepatocellular carcinoma after liver resection.Medicine · 2017Observational
- Prothymosin alpha: a ubiquitous polypeptide with potential use in cancer diagnosis and therapy.Cancer immunology, immunotherapy : CII · 2012Review
- Thymosin alpha 1: biological activities, applications and genetic engineering production.Peptides · 2010Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 5 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purposePatients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) have few treatment options. Thymalfasin (thymosin α-1) is an immunomodulator that may increase response to ablative therapy through direct anti-tumor action or enhanced protection against infections. We compared transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) plus thymalfasin with TACE alone for unresectable HCC.
methodsIn this phase II, randomized trial, 25 patients received either TACE plus thymalfasin (1.6 mg SC, 5 times weekly; n = 14) or TACE alone (n = 11) for 24 weeks. Response was defined as transition to transplant eligibility or lack of disease progression through week 72. Survival was assessed through 24 months post-treatment.
resultsEight of fourteen (57.1%) patients in the TACE + thymalfasin group versus 5 of 11 (45.5%) patients in the TACE-only group became responders (P = 1.0). Four of fourteen TACE + thymalfasin patients versus none of 11 TACE-only patients became eligible for transplant. Median overall survival time was 110.3 weeks for the TACE + thymalfasin group versus 57.0 weeks for the TACE-only group (P = 0.45). Seven patients in each group experienced serious adverse events; there were no bacterial infections in the TACE + thymalfasin group versus 4 in the TACE-only group. There were 3 deaths in the TACE + thymalfasin group and 5 in the TACE-only group.
conclusionsIn patients with unresectable HCC, TACE + thymalfasin resulted in numerically higher rates of survival and tumor response, including transplant candidacy, with fewer bacterial infections, than TACE alone. Treatment regimens for HCC including thymalfasin as an immunomodulator should be evaluated in larger trials.
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.