Postoperative sorafenib prolongs survival of hepatocellular carcinoma patients with Portal vein tumor thrombus following hepatic resection

Portal vein tumor thrombus (PVTT) is a complication of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Our aim was to determine if sorafenib given postoperatively prolongs the survival of HCC patients with PVTT who undergo hepatic resection. Between 2009 and 2013 advanced HCC with PVTT who underwent surgical resection were given the option to take sorafenib postoperatively. Overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) of patients that had resection alone and those that took sorafenib were compared. Seventy patients were included; 45 (64.3%) received resection alone, and of the 25 (35.7%) patients who received resection plus sorafenib, 10 began sorafenib after surgery, 15 began after recurrence. The median survival times of the resection and resection + sorafenib groups were 10 months (IQR: 1, 30 months) and 15 months (IQR: 3, 62 months), respectively. The median DFS of surgical resection and resection + sorafenib groups were 3 months (IQR: 1, 7 months) and 4 months (IQR: 1, 36 months), respectively. Patients who began sorafenib within 2 weeks after surgery had longer OS and DFS than patients who received resection alone or who began sorafenib after recurrence. Sorafenib improves OS and DFS of HCC patients with PVTT who undergo surgical resection.