Sorafenib in advanced hepatocellular carcinoma
none 25 BACKGROUND: No effective systemic therapy exists for patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma. A preliminary study suggested that sorafenib, an oral multikinase inhibitor of the vascular endothelial growth factor receptor, the platelet-derived growth factor receptor, and Raf may be effective in hepatocellular carcinoma. METHODS: In this multicenter, phase 3, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, we randomly assigned 602 patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma who had not received previous systemic treatment to receive either sorafenib (at a dose of 400 mg twice daily) or placebo. Primary outcomes were overall survival and the time to symptomatic progression. Seconda…
Multidisciplinary strategies to improve treatment outcomes in hepatocellular carcinoma
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a complex disease with a poor prognosis. Incidence and mortality rates are increasing in many geographical regions, indicating a need for better management strategies. Among several risk factors for HCC, the most common are cirrhosis because of chronic hepatitis B virus or hepatitis C virus infection and alcohol consumption, obesity, and diabetes. In some patients, combined risk factors present additional challenges to the prevention and treatment of HCC. Screening and surveillance of high-risk populations varies widely by geographic regions, and access to optimal surveillance is critical for early diagnosis. The treatment choice for HCC depends on the canc…
Updated use of TACE for hepatocellular carcinoma treatment: How and when to use it based on clinical evidence.
Abstract Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common primary liver cancer, representing the sixth leading cause of cancer and the third leading cause of cancer-related mortality. Patient stratification and treatment allocation are based on tumor stage, liver function, and performance status. According to the Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) staging system, transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) is the first-line treatment for patients with intermediate stage HCC, including those with large or multinodular HCC, well-preserved liver function, and no cancer-related symptoms or evidence of vascular invasion or extrahepatic spread. Two TACE techniques have been used since 2004, convent…
Efficacy and safety of sorafenib in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma: subanalyses of a phase III trial.
BACKGROUND & AIMS: The Sorafenib Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) Assessment Randomized Protocol (SHARP) trial demonstrated that sorafenib improves overall survival and is safe for patients with advanced HCC. In this trial, 602 patients with well-preserved liver function (>95% Child-Pugh A) were randomized to receive either sorafenib 400mg or matching placebo orally b.i.d. on a continuous basis. Because HCC is a heterogeneous disease, baseline patient characteristics may affect individual responses to treatment. In a comprehensive series of exploratory subgroup analyses, data from the SHARP trial were analyzed to discern if baseline patient characteristics influenced the efficacy and safety o…
Systemic therapy for intermediate and advanced hepatocellular carcinoma: Sorafenib and beyond.
The hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) treatment landscape changed a decade ago, with sorafenib demonstrating survival benefit in the first-line setting and becoming the first systemic therapy to be approved for HCC. More recently, regorafenib and nivolumab have received approval in the second-line setting after sorafenib, with further positive phase 3 studies emerging in the first line (lenvatinib non-inferior to sorafenib) and second line versus placebo (cabozantinib and ramucirumab). A key recommendation in the management of patients receiving sorafenib is to promote close communication between the patient and the physician so that adverse events (AEs) are detected early and severe AEs can b…
EASL Clinical Practice Guidelines: Management of hepatocellular carcinoma
Liver cancer is the fifth most common cancer and the second most frequent cause of cancer-related death globally. Hepatocellular carcinoma represents about 90% of primary liver cancers and constitutes a major global health problem. The following Clinical Practice Guidelines will give up-to-date advice for the clinical management of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma, as well as providing an in-depth review of all the relevant data leading to the conclusions herein. (C) 2018 European Association for the Study of the Liver. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.