• Hepatocellular carcinoma
• Iodine-125 seed brachytherapy
• Lenvatinib
• Programmed death-1 inhibitor
• Transarterial chemoembolization

• Humans
• Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/radiotherapy
• Liver Neoplasms/radiotherapy
• Brachytherapy/methods
• Portal Vein
• Retrospective Studies
• Chemoembolization, Therapeutic
• Seeds
• Thrombosis
• Iodine Radioisotopes
• Phenylurea Compounds
• Quinolines

• hepatocellular carcinoma
• irradiation stent
• portal vein tumor thrombosis
• transcatheter arterial chemoembolization

• Humans
• Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/complications
• Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/therapy
• Sorafenib
• Liver Neoplasms/complications
• Liver Neoplasms/therapy
• Portal Vein/pathology
• Chemoembolization, Therapeutic/adverse effects
• Chemoembolization, Therapeutic/methods
• Treatment Outcome
• Venous Thrombosis/therapy
• Stents
• Retrospective Studies

• hepatocellular neoplasm (HCC)
• meta-analysis
• portal vein tumor thrombus (PVTT)
• transcatheter chemoembolization (TACE)
• tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI)

• Humans
• Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/complications
• Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/drug therapy
• Sorafenib/therapeutic use
• Tyrosine Protein Kinase Inhibitors
• Liver Neoplasms/drug therapy
• Portal Vein/pathology
• Chemoembolization, Therapeutic
• Treatment Outcome
• Thrombosis

The treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients with portal vein tumor thrombus (PVTT) remains controversial due to the limited effect of sorafenib. The aim of the study was to investigate whether apatinib could improve the efficacy of transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) for patients with HCC complicated by PVTT.

The study included 109 patients with HCC and PVTT who received TACE combined with apatinib (TACE + apatinib) (53 patients) or TACE alone (56 patients) between June 2015 and January 2019. Propensity score matching (PSM) analysis was used to reduce the potential selection bias. Overall survival time (OS) and time to progression (TTP) were used to evaluate the efficacy of TACE + apatinib and TACE alone.

Before PSM, TACE + apatinib significantly improved median TTP (7.0 vs. 3.0 months, P < 0.001) and median OS (15.0 vs. 7.0 months, P < 0.001) when compared with TACE alone. After PSM, the median TTP was significantly longer in the TACE + apatinib group, 6.0 months, than in the TACE alone group, 3.0 months (P < 0.001), and the median OS was significantly longer in the TACE + apatinib group, 14.0 months, than in the TACE alone group, 7.0 months (P < 0.001). Subgroup analysis revealed that, except for patients with Child–Pugh class B, the patients with or without extrahepatic metastases and with Child–Pugh class A had longer TTP and OS after the combined TACE + apatinib treatment than after TACE alone.

The combination of TACE + apatinib might be an effective and safe treatment for HCC patients with PVTT.

Transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) combined with sorafenib (TACE-S) or apatinib (TACE-A) is used in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, to date, no study has compared the efficacy and safety of both treatments. The objective of this study was to compare the efficacy and safety of patients with advanced HCC who received either TACE-S or TACE-A.

193 patients with advanced HCC were included in the study between June 2015 and December 2019. Propensity score matching (PSM) analysis was used in the study to reduce selection bias.

Before PSM, the median overall survival (mOS) and median progression-free survival (mPFS) of patients treated with TACE-S were not significantly longer than in patients treated with TACE-A (P=0.703, P=0.514). TACE-A did not increase the mortality risk compared with TACE-S in the first 12 months (HR: 1.255, 95%CI: 0.796–1.978, P=0.329) or after the 12-month mark (HR: 0.832, 95%CI: 0.482–1.436, p=0.508). Similarly, TACE-A did not increase the tumor recurrence risk relative to TACE-S in the first 12 months (HR: 1.054, 95%CI: 0.744–1.493, P=0.767) or after the 12-month mark (HR: 1.730, 95%CI: 0.592–5.049, P=0.316). The subgroups analysis showed that TACE-A did not increase mortality risk or tumor recurrence risk relative to TACE-S. After PSM, similar results were presented. The III and IV stage adverse events in the TACE-A group were similar to those in the TACE-S group before PSM.

Patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma could get similar survival benefits from treatment with either transarterial chemoembolization plus apatinib or transarterial chemoembolization plus sorafenib.

•

Sorafenib in combination with TACE can prolong survival in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.

The combination therapy of trans-arterial chemoembolization (TACE) and sorafenib were proved to be one of the effective methods for intermediate and advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Although it has been confirmed that the combination therapy can prolong survival for advanced HCC effectively, the therapeutic efficacy and safety are still controversial and the clinical value has not been determined. This meta-analysis aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of combination therapy and discuss the optimal timing of combination for better clinical benefits.

PubMed, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, and Web of Science were systematically reviewed to search for relevant studies published before May 15, 2021. Studies comparing the efficacy and safety of TACE + sorafenib with TACE + placebo / alone were adopted. Two reviewers independently extracted study outcomes. The data were analyzed through fixed/random-effect meta-analysis models with Review Manager (Version 5. 3) software.

7 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were included with 1464 patients with unresectable HCC (734 in TACE + sorafenib group and 730 in TACE + placebo or alone group). Meta-analysis showed that objective response rate (ORR) and disease control rate (DCR) were slightly improved in TACE + sorafenib group (ORR: risk ratio = 1.24; 95% confidence interval: 1.08–1.42; P = 0.002; DCR: risk ratio = 1.09; 95% confidence interval: 1.01–1.18; P = 0.02). The combination therapy obviously improved time to progression (TTP) (hazard ratio: 0.73; 95% confidence interval: 0.55–0.96; P = 0.03) and progression-free survival (PFS) (hazard ratio 0.62; 95% confidence interval: 0.52–0.73, P < 0.00001) but not overall survival (OS) (hazard ratio: 0.93; 95% confidence interval: 0.59–1.46; P = 0.75) or time to untreatable progression (TTUP) (hazard ratio: 0.76; 95% confidence interval: 0.31–1.89; P = 0.56). In addition, the incidence of adverse reactions (AEs) in combination group were higher than TACE + placebo / alone group. Furthermore, the subgroup analysis showed that the heterogeneity of TTP was notably decreased (pre-TACE: P = 0.12, I² = 48%; post-TACE: P = 0.58, I² = 0%), and the hazard ratio was 0.59 (95% confidence interval: 0.51–0.68; P < 0.00001) in pre-TACE subgroup which indicated that combination before TACE significantly prolonged TTP but not in combination after TACE (hazard ratio: 0.88; 95% confidence interval: 0.62–1.24; P = 0.46). In term of AEs, sensitivity analysis indicated that the risk ratio for hand-foot skin reaction, diarrhea, rash/desquamation, and hypertension was 7.41, 2.58, 2.14, 1.55 in pre-TACE subgroup respectively and was 11.34, 3.26, 3.61, 4.11 in post-TACE subgroup respectively (All P < 0.05).

The combination of TACE and sorafenib significantly can improve TTP and PFS, and reduce the level of risk of adverse reactions of unresectable HCC, especially in the combination before TACE.

• Hepatocellular carcinoma
• Meta-analysis
• Safety
• Sorafenib
• Survival
• Trans-arterial chemoembolization

Portal vein involvement is considered one of the most fearful complications of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Portal vein tumor thrombosis (PVTT) is associated with aggressive tumor biology (high grade), high tumor burden (number and size of lesions), high levels of serum markers (AFP), poor liver function (deranged LFT), and poor performance status of patients. The Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer staging system places HCC patients with PVTT in advanced stage (BCLC Stage-C). This group contains a fairly heterogeneous patient population, previously considered candidates for palliative systemic therapy with sorafenib. However, this provided modest overall survival (OS) benefit. The results of a recent Phase III (IMbrave150) trial favor the combination of atezolizumab and bevacizumab over sorafenib as a standard of care in advanced unresectable HCC. While only lenvatinib proved to be non-inferior against sorafenib in a phase III (REFLECT trial), regorafenib (RESORCE trial), ramucirumab (REACH-2), and cabozantinib (CELESTIAL) have been approved second-line therapy in phase III clinical trials. Recently, the data on the prospect of other modalities in the management of HCC with PVTT is mounting with favorable results. Targeting multiple pathways in the HCC cascade using a combination of drugs and other modalities such as RT, TACE, TARE, and HAIC appear effective for systemic and loco-regional control. The quest for the ideal combination therapy and the sequence set is still widely unanswered and prospective trials are lacking. With the armament of available therapeutic options and the advances and refinements in the delivery system, down-staging patients to make them eligible for curative resection has been reported. In a rapidly evolving treatment landscape, performing surgery when appropriate, in the form of LR and even LT to achieve cure does not seem farfetched. Likewise, adjuvant therapy and prompt management of the recurrences holds the key to prolong OS and DFS. This review discusses the management options of HCC patients with PVTT.

• hepatic artery infusion chemotherapy
• hepatocellular carcinoma
• liver resection
• liver transplantation
• multimodality treatment
• portal vein tumor thrombosis
• radiotherapy
• systemic therapy
• transarterial chemoembolization

To compare the efficacy and safety of transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) combining with sorafenib or apatinib for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients with portal vein tumor thrombosis (PVTT).

From June 2015 to March 2020, a total of 89 consecutive advanced HCC patients with PVTT who were treated with sorafenib-TACE (S-TACE) or apatinib-TACE (A-TACE) in our center were enrolled. The overall survival (OS), time to progression (TTP), tumor response, and adverse events in the two groups were compared.

There were 32 and 41 patients included in the S-TACE group and A-TACE group, respectively. The median follow-up was 10.0 months (range, 3.0–36.0 months) in the whole study. The median OS (11.0 vs. 10.0 months, P = 0.419), median TTP (5.0 vs. 6.0 months, P = 0.073), and tumor response (P = 0.529) between the S-TACE group and the A-TACE group were not significantly different. The adverse events related to sorafenib or apatinib were tolerable.

S-TACE and A-TACE exhibited comparable prognosis for HCC patients with PVTT, which provide another effective and safe method of A-TACE for these patients except for conventional S-TACE.

• apatinib
• hepatocellular carcinoma
• portal vein tumor thrombosis
• sorafenib
• transarterial chemoembolization

• Combined treatment
• Guideline
• Hepatocellular carcinoma
• Immunotherapy
• Radiotherapy
• Stereotactic body radiotherapies

• Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/radiotherapy
• Humans
• Liver Neoplasms/radiotherapy
• Neoplasm Recurrence, Local
• Radiosurgery

• Caudate lobe
• clinical study
• hepatocellular carcinoma
• percutaneous microwave ablation
• ultrasound guided

• HCC
• OS
• apatinib
• camrelizumab
• hepatocellular carcinoma
• overall survival

To evaluate the therapeutic efficacy and safety of supplement transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) with drug-eluting beads TACE (DEB-TACE) through extrahepatic collateral (EHC) arteries for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

In this retrospective study, 61 unresectable HCC patients with treatment-naïve EHC blood supplies who received TACE from January 2016 to March 2019 were enrolled; of these patients, 42 (68.9%) received DEB-TACE, and 19 (31.1%) received cTACE. The hepatic tumor feeding arteries were treated in the same TACE session if it presented. The tumor response, time-to-progression (TTP), and overall survival (OS) were analyzed. Safety was assessed based on the occurrence of liver function deterioration and major complications within three months after TACE.

DEB-TACE showed better efficacy than cTACE in the disease control rate (p=0.001), overall response rate (p=0.005), the TTP (eight months vsthree months, p=0.002) and the OS (23.8 months vs nine months, p=0.045). Nine patients in the DEB-TACE group and one patient in the cTACE group were downstaged to resection or liver transplantation (21.4% vs 5.3%, p=0.151). DEB-TACE and cTACE have no difference in the acute and chronic liver toxicity. With regard to complications, there was no significant difference in the occurrence of both major (16.7% vs 21.1%, p=0.72) and minor (57.1% vs 47.4%, p=0.48) complications between DEB-TACE and cTACE.

DEB-TACE through EHC arteries has a potential therapeutic effect in the treatment of unresectable HCC, with comparable safety compared with cTACE.

• chemoembolization
• collateral circulation
• cone-beam computed tomography
• hepatocellular carcinoma
• therapeutic

To compare the efficacy of three types of palliative therapy for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), including transarterial chemoembolisation (TACE) monotherapy, sorafenib alone and their combination.

The databases of PubMed, Embase and Cochrane Library were retrieved. The odds ratio (OR) with its 95% confidence interval (CI) was used to investigate the binary variables, and the standardised mean difference (SMD) with its 95% CI was employed to evaluate the continuous variables. All statistical tests were performed by using Stata/SE, version 12.0.

Thirty-one clinical studies, containing 5125 unique cases of patients with advanced HCC, were included. There were significant improvements in overall survival (OS) (pooled SMD = 2.54; 95% CI 1.74–3.34) and time to progression (TTP) (pooled SMD = 2.49; 95% CI 0.87–4.12) of the patients after receiving the combination therapy of TACE and sorafenib, compared to TACE monotherapy, and the OS in the combined treatment cohort was also longer than that in the sorafenib-alone cohort (pooled SMD = 2.92; 95% CI 1.72–4.13). The combination therapy group in comparison to the TACE group benefited a significantly increased overall response rate (ORR) (pooled OR = 2.61; 95% CI 1.43–4.77), 1-year (pooled OR = 2.96; 95% CI 1.71–5.14) and 2-year (pooled OR = 1.64; 95% CI 1.18–2.28) survival rates and reduced disease progression rate (DPR) (pooled OR = 0.47; 95% CI 0.33–0.68); in parallel, the ORR in the group was also significantly higher than that in the sorafenib-alone group (pooled OR = 3.62; 95% CI 1.28–10.22), although without a difference in the DPR (pooled OR = 0.28; 95% CI 0.05–1.48). In addition, we discovered that the 1-year (pooled OR = 1.39; 95% CI 0.84–2.29) and 2-year (pooled OR = 1.70; 95% CI 0.69–4.18) survival rates in the TACE monotherapy cohort were not significantly different to those in the sorafenib-alone cohort.

The combination therapy is more effective than monotherapy in improving the prognostic outcomes of patients with advanced HCC. Therefore, we recommend it as the preferred treatment intervention for those patients.

• Hepatocellular carcinoma
• Meta-analysis
• Sorafenib
• TACE

• Sorafenib
• hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)
• meta-analysis
• transarterial chemoembolization (TACE)

The aim of this study was to investigate the safety and efficacy of transarterial chemoembolization and sorafenib (TACE-S) combined with microwave ablation (TACE-S-MWA) for the treatment of patients with advanced primary hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Between January 2015 and December 2018, 152 consecutive advanced HCC patients, who underwent TACE-S-MWA (MWA group, n=77) or TACE-S (Non-MWA group, n=75), were investigated. Overall survival (OS), time to progression (TTP) and safety were compared between the two groups. Prognostic factors were analyzed using the Cox proportional hazard regression model.

Baseline patient characteristics were balanced between the two groups. MWA group was associated with a higher OS (median, 19.0 vs 13.0 months; P<0.001) and a longer TTP (median, 6.0 vs 3.0 months; P<0.001) compared with non-MWA group. Multivariate analyses showed that portal vein tumor thrombosis (PVTT) (P=0.002), duration of sorafenib (P<0.001), and MWA treatment (P=0.011) were independently associated with OS. MWA treatment strategy (P<0.001) was a significant predictor of TTP. There were no treatment-related mortalities in either group. The rates of minor complications (42.9% vs 38.7%, P=0.599) and major complications (1.29% vs 1.33%, P=0.985) in the MWA group were similar to those in the non-MWA group.

TACE-S-MWA was safe and effective for advanced primary HCC. TACE-S-MWA resulted in better OS and TTP than did TACE-S for treatment of patients with advanced primary HCC.

• hepatocellular carcinoma
• microwave ablation
• sorafenib
• survival
• transarterial chemoembolization

• apatinib
• hepatocellular carcinoma
• overall survival
• transarterial chemoembolization

• Advanced HCC
• Child-Pugh A
• Sorafenib
• Transarterial chemoembolization

Transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) is the recommended treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients at Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) B-stage, whereas sorafenib is an orally administered small molecule target drug for BCLC C-stage. This updated systemic review and meta-analysis focuses on identifying the efficacy of the combination of TACE with sorafenib, which remains controversial despite years of exploration.

PubMed, EMBASE, Scopus and the Cochrane Library were systematically reviewed to search for studies published from January 1990 to May 2017. Studies focusing on the efficacy of combination therapy for unresectable HCC were eligible. The hazard ratio (HR) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) for time to progression (TTP), overall survival (OS), disease control rate (DCR) and aetiology were collected. The data were then analysed through fixed/random effects meta-analysis models with STATA 13.0. The incidence and severity of treatment-related adverse events (AEs) were also evaluated.

Twenty-seven studies were included. Thirteen non-comparative studies reported median OS (ranging from 18.5 to 20.4 months), median TTP (ranging from 7 to 13.9 months) and DCR (ranging from 18.4 to 95%). Fourteen comparative studies provided median OS (ranging from 7.0 to 29.7 months) and median TTP (ranging from 2.6 to 10.2 months). Five comparative studies provided DCR (ranging from 32 to 97.2%). Forest plots showed that combination therapy significantly improved TTP (HR = 0.66, 95% CI 0.50–0.81, P = 0.002) rather than OS (HR = 0.63, 95% CI 0.55–0.71, P = 0.058), compared to TACE alone. DCR increased significantly in the combination therapy group (OR = 2.93, 95% CI 1.59–5.41, P = 0.005). Additional forest plots were drawn and no significant differences were observed with regard to survival outcome among various aetiologies. Forest plots for separate analysis of regions showed the HR for TTP was 0.62 (95% CI 0.45–0.79, P = 0.002) in the Asian countries group, and 0.82 (95% CI 0.59–1.05, P = 0.504)) in western countries. The HR for OS was 0.61 (95% CI 0.48–0.75, P = 0.050) in the Asian countries group and was 0.88 (95% CI 0.56–1.20, P = 0.845) in western countries. These data may indicate positive TTP outcome in Asian patients but not in European patients while no positive findings regarding OS were observed in either region. The most common AEs included fatigue, hand-foot skin reaction, diarrhoea and hypertension.

Combination therapy may benefit unresectable HCC patients in terms of prolonged TTP and DCR. More well-designed studies are needed to investigate its superiority for OS.

The online version of this article (10.1186/s12876-018-0849-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

• Hepatocellular carcinoma
• Meta-analysis
• Sorafenib
• Systemic review
• Transarterial chemoembolization

The benefits of transarterial chemoembolization plus sorafenib (TACE-S) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with portal vein tumor thrombus (PVTT) remain controversial. We compared the effectiveness and safety of TACE-S and TACE for HCC with PVTT.

The Cochrane Library, PubMed, EMBASE, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, VIP, Wan Fang, and Sino Med databases were systematically searched for studies of HCC with PVTT treated using TACE-S. Two authors independently extracted study outcomes, including overall survival (OS), time to progression (TTP), objective response (tumor response) and adverse events (AEs).

Eight high-quality, retrospective studies with 1091 patients (TACE-S=356, TACE=735) were included in the review. Five retrospective studies with 973 patients (TACE-S=238, TACE=735) were included in the meta-analysis. The objective response rate (ORR, OR=3.59, 95% CI=1.74–7.39; I²=21%, P=0.0005) and disease control rate (DCR, OR=4.72, 95% CI=1.75–12.72; I²=56%, P=0.002) favored TACE-S. TACE-S significantly increased 6-month OS (OR=3.47; 95% CI=2.47–4.89; I²=0%, P < 0.00001) and 1-year OS (OR=3.10; 95% CI=2.22–4.33; I²=41%, P < 0.00001). The hazard ratio (HR) for OS (HR=0.62; 95% CI=0.51–0.75; I²=30%, P < 0.00001) also indicated that TACE-S was superior to TACE. TACE-S with PVTT had better outcomes in the first-order portal vein branch and lower-order portal vein branches than in the main portal vein and upper branches to superior mesenteric vein. The most common AEs were hand-foot skin reaction (HFSR, 178; 73%), diarrhea (142; 58%) and alopecia (76; 31%); AEs of grade 3/4 were rare.

TACE-S may improve OS, ORR, TTP and DCR for HCC patients with PVTT compared to TACE.

• PVTT
• TACE
• combined treatment
• hepatocellular carcinoma
• meta-analysis
• sorafenib
• systematic review

• BCLC stages B and C
• Hepatocellular carcinoma
• prognosis
• sorafenib
• transarterial chemoembolization

• apatinib
• efficacy
• hepatocellular carcinoma
• portal vein tumor thrombosis
• transarterial chemoembolization

• Advanced hepatocellular carcinoma
• Clinical trial
• Sorafenib
• TACE
• Transcatheter arterial chemoembolization

• Aged
• Aged, 80 and over
• Antineoplastic Agents/administration & dosage
• Antineoplastic Agents/therapeutic use
• Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/therapy
• Chemoembolization, Therapeutic/methods
• Combined Modality Therapy
• Female
• Humans
• Liver Neoplasms/therapy
• Male
• Middle Aged
• Niacinamide/administration & dosage
• Niacinamide/analogs & derivatives
• Niacinamide/therapeutic use
• Phenylurea Compounds/administration & dosage
• Phenylurea Compounds/therapeutic use
• Sorafenib
• Survival Analysis
• Treatment Outcome

• National Natural Science Foundation of China (CN)
• Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province

Background & Aims: We compared the efficacy of transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) in combination with CT-guided radiofrequency ablation (RFA) with that of surgical resection (SR) in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) within the up-to-seven criteria.

Methods: From January 2004 to December 2014, 420 multicenter consecutive patients with HCC who conformed to the up-to-seven criteria and initially received either TACE plus CT-guided RFA (TACE-RFA) or SR were enrolled. A matched cohort composed of 206 patients was selected after adjustment with propensity score matching. The overall survival (OS) of each patient was calculated with the Kaplan-Meier method and compared by the log-rank test.

Results: The median OS and 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival rates were 56.0 months, 96.1%, 76.7% and 41.3% in the TACE-RFA group and 58.0 months, 96.1%, 86.4% and 46.2% in the SR group, respectively. There was no significant difference in OS between the two groups (P = 0.138). For patients with HCC beyond the Milan criteria, TACE-RFA provided a longer median OS than SR (52.0 vs 45.0 months, P = 0.023).

Conclusions: Treatment by TACE-RFA conferred an OS rate comparable with that of SR in patients within the up-to-seven criteria. For patients with HCC between the Milan and the up-to-seven criteria, TACE-RFA might be superior to SR for survival prolongation.

• Hepatocellular carcinoma
• Radiofrequency ablation
• Surgical resection
• Transarterial chemoembolization
• Up-to-seven criteria.

• Adverse events
• Hepatocellular carcinoma
• Portal vein tumor thrombus
• Sorafenib
• Transarterial chemoembolization

• combined therapy
• hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)
• portal vein invasion
• sorafenib
• transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE)

• Hepatocellular carcinoma
• Medical therapy management
• Portal vein
• Thrombus

• PVTT
• hepatocellular carcinoma
• portal vein tumor thrombosis
• prognostic factor
• survival

• hepatocellular carcinoma
• portal vein tumor thrombus
• radiotherapy
• transarterial chemoembolization

To compare the treatment outcomes of sorafenib plus transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) vs TACE alone in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and hepatic vein tumor thrombus (HVTT).

Twenty patients who were initially diagnosed with HCC and HVTT and received TACE combined with sorafenib during February 2009 to October 2013 were included in the study. To minimize selection bias, these patients were compared with 60 case-matched controls selected from a pool of 81 patients (in a 1:3 ratio) who received TACE alone during the same period. The primary end point was overall survival (OS). The secondary end points were time to progression, disease control rate, and adverse events.

After a median follow-up period of 12.5 months (range, 1.03–44.23 months), the OS of the combined group was found to be significantly higher compared with the monotherapy group (14.9 vs 6.1 months, P=0.010). The time to progression was found to be significantly longer in the combined group (4.9 vs 2.4 months, P=0.016). Univariate and multivariate analyses revealed that the treatment allocation was an independent predictor of OS.

Sorafenib plus TACE was well tolerated and was more effective in treating patients with advanced HCC and HVTT. Future trials with prospective larger samples are required to validate these results.

• adverse events
• hepatic vein tumor thrombus
• hepatocellular carcinoma
• prognosis

• consensus
• hepatocellular carcinoma
• multidisciplinary treatment
• portal vein tumor thrombus
• recommendations

• Administration, Oral
• Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/complications
• Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/pathology
• Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/therapy
• Chemoembolization, Therapeutic
• China
• Hepatectomy
• Humans
• Immunotherapy
• Liver Neoplasms/complications
• Liver Neoplasms/pathology
• Liver Neoplasms/therapy
• Medical Oncology/methods
• Medical Oncology/standards
• Microcirculation
• Neoplasm Metastasis
• Neoplastic Cells, Circulating/pathology
• Portal Vein/pathology
• Prognosis
• Radiotherapy/methods
• Thrombosis/complications
• Thrombosis/pathology
• Treatment Outcome

• Hepatic arterial chemotherapy
• Hepatocellular carcinoma
• Portal vein tumor thrombosis
• Radiotherapy
• Sorafenib
• Transarterial chemoembolization
• Transarterial radioembolization

• ADAM17 Protein/administration & dosage
• Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/complications
• Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/therapy
• Chemoembolization, Therapeutic
• Combined Modality Therapy
• Embolization, Therapeutic
• Humans
• Liver Neoplasms/complications
• Liver Neoplasms/therapy
• Niacinamide/administration & dosage
• Niacinamide/analogs & derivatives
• Niacinamide/therapeutic use
• Phenylurea Compounds/administration & dosage
• Phenylurea Compounds/therapeutic use
• Portal Vein
• Radiotherapy, Conformal
• Sorafenib
• Venous Thrombosis/etiology
• Venous Thrombosis/therapy