Medium or Large Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Sorafenib Combined with Transarterial Chemoembolization and Radiofrequency Ablation

Purpose To determine the safety and efficacy of sorafenib combined with transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) and radiofrequency ablation (RFA) (hereafter, S-TACE-RFA) in patients with medium or large (range, 3.1–7.0 cm in diameter) hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Materials and Methods This retrospective study evaluated the medical records of consecutive patients with medium or large HCC who underwent S-TACE-RFA or combined TACE and RFA (hereafter, TACE-RFA) from January 2010 to December 2014. Sorafenib was started 3–5 days after TACE, and RFA was performed 1–2 weeks after TACE. Treatment complications, recurrence-free survival (RFS), and overall survival (OS) in patients who underwent S-TACE-RFA were compared with those in patients who underwent TACE-RFA. Results Of the 174 patients who underwent S-TACE-RFA or TACE-RFA, 106 who met the eligibility criteria were included in this study. Among them, 40 underwent S-TACE-RFA and 66 underwent TACE-RFA. The patients who underwent S-TACE-RFA had longer RFS (median, 24.0 vs 10.0 months; P = .04) and better OS (median, 63.0 vs 36.0 months, P = .048) than those who underwent TACE-RFA. S-TACE-RFA and α-fetoprotein level were independent prognostic factors for survival in uni- and multivariable analyses. The rate of complications in patients who underwent S-TACE-RFA was similar to that in patients who underwent TACE-RFA (22.5% vs 18.2%, P = .59). Conclusion S-TACE-RFA resulted in longer RFS and better OS than did TACE-RFA in patients with medium or large HCC. © RSNA, 2018 Online supplemental material is available for this article.