Published online Aug 18, 2016. doi: 10.4254/wjh.v8.i23.957
Peer-review started: May 4, 2016
First decision: July 4, 2016
Revised: July 6, 2016
Accepted: July 29, 2016
Article in press: August 1, 2016
Published online: August 18, 2016
Recurrence rate of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is very high even after curative surgery, and no postoperative therapies have been definitively shown to prevent HCC recurrence. Sorafenib is proved to be effective for advanced HCC by two large randomized controlled trials in 2008 and 2009. Therefore it stands to reason to expect that adjuvant sorafenib may improve post-surgery outcomes of patients with HCC. However, many questions still exist about the value of sorafenib for patients with HCC after surgery or transarterial chemoembolization. In this editorial, we complehensively reviewed the safety and efficacy of adjuvant sorafenib for patients with hepatocellar carcinoma after surgery or transarterial chemoembolization. We emphasized the positive and negative role of sorafenib.
Core tip: Sorafenib is effective for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, its positive role as adjuvant therapy for HCC after surgery or transarterial chemoembolization is controversy.