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World J Gastroenterol. Apr 21, 2014; 20(15): 4151-4159
Published online Apr 21, 2014. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v20.i15.4151
Chemotherapy for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma in the sorafenib age
Koji Miyahara, Kazuhiro Nouso, Kazuhide Yamamoto
Koji Miyahara, Kazuhiro Nouso, Kazuhide Yamamoto, Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama-city, Okayama 700-8558, Japan
Kazuhiro Nouso, Department of Molecular Hepatology, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama-city, Okayama 700-8558, Japan
Author contributions: Miyahara K and Nouso K wrote the paper; Yamamoto K critically revised the manuscript for important intellectual content.
Correspondence to: Koji Miyahara, MD, PhD, Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2-5-1 Shikata-cho, Kita-ku, Okayama-city, Okayama 700-8558, Japan. mkojisup@yahoo.co.jp
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Received: September 4, 2013
Revised: January 2, 2014
Accepted: February 26, 2014
Published online: April 21, 2014
Core Tip

Core tip: Sorafenib is the only systemic therapy proven to have a positive effect on survival and to be well tolerated in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We summarize the most current status of sorafenib therapy, focusing on (1) safety and efficacy of sorafenib for advanced HCC; (2) biomarkers predicting efficacy of sorafenib; (3) expanded application for the treatment of non-advanced HCC; (4) sorafenib efficacy beyond radiological progression; and (5) novel therapeutics and hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy.