Sorafenib combined with transcatheter arterial chemoembolization or not in treatment of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer stage C / 中华肝胆外科杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective:To study the survival outcomes in patients with Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) stage C hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) treated with sorafenib combined with transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) versus sorafenib alone.Methods:The data of 92 patients with BCLC stage C HCC at Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute& Hospital from January 2008 to December 2015 were retrospectively studied. There were 82 males and 10 females. The average age was 56.3 years. Classified according to whether there were vascular invasion and/or distant metastasis, patients were divided into the vascular invasion group ( n=24), the metastasis group ( n=48), and the vascular invasion combined with metastasis group ( n=20). All patients were treated with sorafenib, but some patients received combined treatment with TACE. The survival data of these patients on follow-up was collected. The Kaplan-Meier method was used for survival analysis, and the survival rates were compared by the log-rank test. Univariate and multivariate Cox analyses were used to determine the prognostic factors of patients’ survival. Results:There were no significant differences in the baseline clinical data among the three groups (all P>0.05). Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that pre-treatment alpha fetal protein >20 μg/L ( HR=1.90, 95% CI 1.13-3.12), alkaline phosphatase >125 U/L ( HR=1.60, 95% CI 1.03-2.49) and sorafenib alone ( HR=2.11, 95% CI 1.23-3.54) were independent risk factors of survival for these patients. There were no significant differences in the cumulative survival rates among the three groups ( P>0.05). In the vascular invasion group, the cumulative survival rates of patients treated with combined sorafenib and TACE ( n=4) were significantly higher than those treated with sorafenib alone ( n=20) ( P<0.05). Conclusion:Compared with sorafenib alone, sorafenib combined with TACE resulted in better prognosis for patients with BCLC stage C HCC. Subgroup analysis showed that patients with vascular invasion had significantly better survival treated with combined sorafenib and TACE than sorafenib alone.