Computed tomography findings of sorafenib-treated hepatic tumors in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma

Abstract

Background and aim: The purpose of this study was to describe the computed tomography (CT) findings of sorafenib-treated hepatic tumors in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma and to correlate the findings to the overall survival (OS).

Methods: Twenty-eight sorafenib-treated patients who had advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with viable hepatic tumors between August 2007 and February 2008 were enrolled in the study. Dynamic CT findings were analyzed with regard to the response of the tumor, based on the response evaluation criteria in solid tumor, version 1.1, and the attenuation values of the tumors during the late arterial and portal venous phases. Survival analyses according to early changes in the tumors were also performed.

Results: In all patients, the tumor responses were stable disease or progressive disease on follow-up CT scans. Prior to the treatment, the mean attenuation values of the tumors were 93.0 ± 20.0 Hounsfield unit (HU) at the late arterial phase, and 107.9 ± 23.0 HU at the portal venous phase. On the first follow-up CT scans, the mean attenuation values of the late arterial and portal venous phases were 76.9 ± 26.5 HU and 94.2 ± 29.1 HU, respectively (P < 0.01). The median OS was better for the patients with the response of stable disease than the patients with progressive disease (P = 0.013).

Conclusions: In patients with advanced HCC who were treated by sorafenib, the size of the hepatic tumors was not significantly reduced. However, the median survival was better for the patients with the response of stable disease. The attenuation values of the tumors became lower after treatment, as compared to the baseline CT scans.