ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION AND AIM: Sorafenib has been the standard of care for first-line treatment of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma, a complex disease that affects an extremely heterogenous population. Thereby requiring multidisciplinary individualized treatment strategies that match the disease characteristics and the patients' specific needs. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Data for 175 patients who received sorafenib for hepatocellular carcinoma in three different hospitals in Sao Paulo, Brazil over a span of nine years were retrospectively analyzed. RESULTS: The median age was 62 years. Percentages of patients with Child-Pugh A, B and C liver cirrhosis were 61%, 31% and 5%, respectively. Approximately half of the patients had Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer stage B disease, and the other half had stage C. The median treatment duration was 253 days. Sorafenib dose was reduced to 400 mg/day in 41% of the patients due to toxicity. Overall objective response rate as per Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors and its modified version was 39%. Patients who received transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) at any point during sorafenib therapy were significantly more likely to experience an objective response. After a median follow-up of 339 days, the median overall survival was 380 days. Child-Pugh cirrhosis, tumor response and concomitant chemoembolization were independent prognostic factors for overall survival in multivariate analysis. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that, in experienced hands, sorafenib therapy may benefit carefully selected hepatocellular carcinoma patients for whom other therapies are initially contraindicated, including those patients with Child-Pugh B liver function and those patients who are subsequently treated with concomitant TACE.
