Feasibility and safety of sorafenib treatment in hepatocellular carcinoma patients with spontaneous rupture.

AIM

To report the outcome of patients with ruptured hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) treated at a single center during a 5-year period.

METHODS

We retrospectively analyzed 32 patients who presented with ruptured HCC at Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University between 2008 and 2013.

RESULTS

The mean age of the patients was 53 years (range 39-71 years). Of these patients, 22 received surgical management, 10 underwent transarterial embolization (TAE) or transarterial chemoembolization (TACE), and 12 received sorafenib after surgery, TAE or TACE. Cumulative survival rates at 4, 8 and 12 mo were 72.9%, 50.0% and 33.3%, respectively, in the surgery only group and were 90.0%, 80.6% and 64.1%, respectively, in the surgery plus sorafenib group. Cumulative survival rates at 4, 8 and 12 mo were 68.4%, 43.6% and 19.4%, respectively, in the surgery only or TAE/TACE only groups, and were 91.7%, 75.0% and 60.2%, respectively, in the sorafenib combination groups (P = 0.04). No unexpected side effects due to sorafenib were observed. The most common side effect was hand-foot skin reaction. To date, 5 patients have died. Median follow-up from the start of sorafenib therapy for the remaining 7 patients is 12.7 mo (range 5.8-32.2 mo).

CONCLUSION

Sorafenib can be used in patients with ruptured HCC as it has interesting activity and is well tolerated; dose adjustment is generally not required. However, a larger prospective study is necessary to determine the efficacy of sorafenib in this group of patients.