Nexavar in treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a significant health problem. Globally is the second most common cause of cancer-associated death and the fifth most frequent neoplasm. The main risk factors for the onset of HCC are well recognized, including the presence of cirrhosis, chronic hepatitis C and hepatitis B infections and heavy alcohol consumption. In an early stage disease, there are potentially curative therapies, such as surgical resection, transplantation and loco-regional procedures. However, at the time of diagnosis, a large number of patients present an advanced stage disease, according to the Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) classification. Background. Sorafenib chemotherapy is the first-line therapy for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in an advanced stage. The aim of this study was to evaluate prognostic factors of survival in HCC patients treated with sorafenib, in real-life clinical practice. Methods. We perform an retrospective, non-randomized study and we analyzed 162 patients with HCC who were treated with sorafenib 800 mg/day in Oncology Department of Fundeni Clinical Institute between 2009 and 2016. Results. Mortality in our patients group was more than 80%, with survival rate about 22 months and a median survival rate 13 months. The patients with liver cirrhosis has a severe evolution compared with those who has hepatitis. We found a good survival rate for HCV infected patients compared with HVB or VHB +VHD etiology. BCLC and Child-Pugh classification have an important role in overall survival.