Table 2. Baseline characteristics of comparative studies assessing effect of combination therapy for unresectable HCC.
Authors (year) | Study Design | Country | Pts. | CPS | BCLC | ECOG | Hepatitis | Treatment characteristics | NO. of TACE |
Martin et al. 2010† [21] | Prospective | several countries | 150 | ST: B = 31% DT:B = 39% | NA | NA | NA | ST(n = 30) versus DT (n = 120) | ST: 2.0; DT: 1.0 (median) |
Kudo et al. 2011 [22] | Phase III, Randomized | Japan and South Korea | 299 | A = 100% | NA | 0 = 87% 1 = 13% | HBV = 20% HCV = 60% | Sorafenib was given 1–3 months after TACE till progression | 1.0–2.0 |
Sansonno et al. 2012 [24] | phase II, prospective, randomized | Italy | 40 | A = 100% | B = 100% | 0 = 86% 1 = 24% | HCV = 100% | Sorafenib started 30 days after TACE till progression or unacceptable toxicity | NA |
Lencioni et al. 2012† [23] | phase II, prospective, randomized | several countries | 307 | A = 100% | B = 100% | 0 = 100% | NA | Continuous sorafenib 3–7 d before chemoembolization | NA |
Bai et al. 2013 [25] | Prospective | China | 82 | A = 77% B = 23% | B = 23% C = 77% | 0 = 36.5%, 1 = 46.5%, 2 = 14.6%, 3 = 1.2%, 4 = 1.2% | HBV = 87% HCV = 5% | Continuous sorafenib (400 mg orally bid), initiated within 14 days after TACE | NA |
Muhammad et al. 2013† [26] | Retrospective | USA | 43 | ST:A = 85%DT:A = 77% | A = 46%; B = 15%; C = 38% | NA | ST:HCV = 69% DT:HCV = 93% | Sorafenib started with 200 mg bid and then increased to 400 mg in the majority of patients | 1.9 (mean) |
Huang et al. 2013 [27] | Prospective | China | 155 | NA | NA | NA | NA | Sorafenib started within 2 weeks of the first cycle of TACE | NA |
Note:
†: TACE was performed using the drug-eluting beads (DEB) in the study. Other studies were conventional TACE.
Abbreviations: BCLC, The Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer; CPS, Child-Pugh classification; Pts., patients; ST: sorafenib+TACE;DT: DEB-TACE; ECOG, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group; HBV, hepatitis B virus; HCV, hepatitis C virus; HCC, Hepatocellular carcinoma; NA: not available; TACE, transarterial chemoembolization.