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World J Gastroenterol. Jan 21, 2014; 20(3): 786-794
Published online Jan 21, 2014. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v20.i3.786
Published online Jan 21, 2014. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v20.i3.786
Predictors of survival in patients with established cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma treated with sorafenib
Andrea L Inghilesi, Donatella Gallori, Umberto Arena, Bernardo Fani, Giacomo Laffi, Fabio Marra, Dipartimento di Medicina Sperimentale e Clinica, Università degli Studi di Firenze, I-50134 Florence, Italy
Lorenzo Antonuzzo, Francesco Di Costanzo, Oncologia Medica, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Careggi, I-50134 Florence, Italy
Paolo Forte, Elena Gianni, Gastroenterologia 2, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Careggi, I-50134 Florence, Italy
Daniela Tomcikova, Luca Boni, Centro per il Coordinamento delle Sperimentazioni Cliniche, Istituto Toscano Tumori, and Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Careggi, I-50134 Florence, Italy
Stefano Colagrande, Silvia Pradella, Dipartimento di Scienze Biomediche, Sperimentali e Cliniche, Università degli Studi di Firenze, I-50134 Florence, Italy
Author contributions: Inghilesi AL, Gallori D, Antonuzzo L, Forte P, Arena U, Fani B, Gianni E, Laffi G, Di Costanzo F and Marra F recruited and followed the patients, and analyzed the data; Colagrande S and Pradella S analyzed CT and MR imaging; Tomcikova D and Boni L perfomed statistical analysis; Inghilesi AL and Marra F wrote the paper.
Supported by Grants from Associazione Italiana per la Ricerca sul Cancro (AIRC) and Istituto Toscano Tumori (ITT) to Marra F
Correspondence to: Fabio Marra, MD, PhD, Dipartimento di Medicina Sperimentale e Clinica, Università degli Studi di Firenze, Largo Brambilla 3, I-50134 Florence, Italy. fabio.marra@unifi.it
Telephone: +39-055-7945425 Fax: +39-055-417123
Received: May 20, 2013
Revised: August 19, 2013
Accepted: August 28, 2013
Published online: January 21, 2014
Revised: August 19, 2013
Accepted: August 28, 2013
Published online: January 21, 2014
Core Tip
Core tip: The study provides information on the clinical characteristics and laboratory findings that predict survival in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma and established cirrhosis treated with sorafenib. This group of patients is particularly fragile and difficult to treat, and therapy with systemic agents, including sorafenib, requires careful monitoring. We report that parameters related to the tumor (extrahepatic spread, vascular invasion), common laboratory tests (alpha-fetoprotein or alkaline phosphatase) and patients characteristics (performance status) are significant predictors of overall survival in this group. These data provide important clinical information for the management of this type of patients.