Does Sorafenib Add Benefit to TACE in HCC?

Transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) for liver-confined, unresectable hepatocellular cancer (HCC) is a care standard. Trials of systemic agents combined with regional therapies such as TACE, radioembolization, and external beam radiotherapy have yielded inconsistent impact on survival.

Investigators report results of a multicenter, open-label, randomized, phase 3 trial comparing TACE alone and combined with sorafenib (400 mg twice daily; SOR-TACE) in 162 patients in China with recurrent intermediate-stage HCC (defined as multifocal disease confined to the liver without vascular invasion or extrahepatic spread) who had positive microvascular invasion after prior potentially curative surgery. Most patients had hepatitis B (91%) and cirrhosis…