31 Jan 2023 • The findings of this groundbreaking study were presented at the 2023 ASCO Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium. Patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) responded better to Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (SBRT) in combination with Sorafenib compared to Sorafenib alone. SBRT was used in this situation, and it increased overall survival and progression-free survival (PFS). In the study, the cohort included 177 patients with new or recurrent HCC who were not candidates for surgery, ablation, or TACE. They were randomly assigned to receive either Sorafenib 400 mg twice daily or to SBRT (27.5 – 50 Gy in five fractions) followed by Sorafenib 200 mg twice daily; the dosage was then increased to 400 mg twice daily after 28 days. Median overall survival improved from 12.3 months with Sorafenib alone to 15.8 months with the addition of SBRT to the regimen. Similarly, Median PFS also improved from 5.5 months with Sorafenib alone to 9.2 months with SBRT and Sorafenib. With the inclusion of SBRT, there was no increase in adverse events, and data at 6 months showed a tendency in favour of a quality-of-life benefit. For patients who cannot be treated with immunotherapy, such as those who encounter a post-transplant recurrence, Sorafenib combined SBRT is a promising first-line option.

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