As a consequence of the good results showed by patients treated with Sorafenib, researchers decided to end the study ahead of schedule in order to administer the drug also to the rest of patients participating in this trial.

Liver cancer and Sorafenib

Primary liver cancer, also known as hepatocellular carcinoma, is the most common of liver cancers. This is the fifth most common cancer worldwide and, in Spain, this disease has an incidence of 10-11 new cases per 100,000 inhabitants per year. The most affected patients are those suffering from acute cirrhosis caused by hepatitis B/ C infections or by excessive alcohol consumption.

Until now, patients suffering from liver cancer in an initial phase have benefited from procedures like resection, transplantation or ablation. Unfortunately, more than 60% of cases of liver cancer are detected in an advanced phase, making chemoembolisation the only available treatment. Chemoembolisation could only be applied to 15% of patients, and there was no other effective treatment for the rest of patients.

Sorafenib blocks a cellular cycle signal pathway, preventing not only the proliferation of tumor cells but also the formation of blood vessels supporting the tumor. Therefore, it delays tumor progression and, as a consequence, improves survival. This implies a hopeful change for patients since until now, treatments tried to eradicate the disease, whereas these new type of agents try to stop the progression of the disease. If new drugs or new combinations of drugs achieve total inhibition of cancer progression, cancer as a whole, and liver cancer in particular, will not necessarily give rise to death.

Hospital Clnic at ASCO

The ASCO Annual Meeting, celebrated this year in Chi
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Contact: lex Argem
aargemi@clinic.ub.es
34-932-275-700
IDIBAPS - Institut d'Investigacions Biomdiques August Pi i Sunyer
4-Jun-2007