Long-lasting tumour response to sorafenib therapy in advanced hepatocellular carcinoma

The multi-kinase inhibitor sorafenib still remains the only -approved- agent- for- advanced- HCC.- Its- benefits- typically- involve disease stabilisation, whereas an induction of response is rare. We-report-a-series-of-five-cases-with-extraordinary-response-to sorafenib. For two patients complete response to sorafenib was reported with a recurrence-free survival of 51 and 21 months. In another HCC patient pretreated with transarterial chemoembolisation (TACE) sorafenib treatment resulted in a complete response with no-evidence-of-disease-18-months-after-first-diagnosis.-In-patient-4 with unresectable HCC and sorafenib therapy secondary resect- ability and subsequent liver transplantation was achieved. Patient 5-had-stabilised-disease-for-48-months-after-TACE-and-sorafenib treatment. Sorafenib- may- be- very- potent- in- individual- patients.- Excellent interdisciplinary strategies are required to achieve best results. There is an urgent need of predictive biomarkers to identify HCC patients-that-will-benefit-the-most. (Acta gastroenterol. belg., 2014, 77, 386-388).