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Nexavar, TACE well tolerated in elderly patients with HCC

Nexavar and transarterial chemoembolization combination therapy for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma was well tolerated by elderly patients, according to study data.

Researchers retrospectively analyzed data from 24 elderly patients with advanced HCC (mean age, 76 years) and 48 nonelderly patients with HCC (mean age, 57 years) to determine comparative efficacy of Nexavar (sorafenib, Bayer) combined with transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) and how well each group tolerated the regimen. The median follow-up for all patients was 9.6 months.

Overall, sorafenib with TACE was well tolerated by both groups of patients. Grade 3 or 4 abdominal pain due to TACE was more frequent in the elderly patients (4.2% vs. 2.1%). The incidence rate of grade 3 or 4 nausea or vomiting was lower in the elderly patients compared with the nonelderly (0% vs. 4.2%), but was insignificant, according to the research. Common sorafenib-related adverse events among the patients included hand-foot skin reaction, diarrhea, fatigue, hypertension, alopecia and thrombocytopenia.

More elderly patients experienced grade 3 or 4 hypertension compared with nonelderly patients (12.5% vs. 4.2%), as well as grade 3 or 4 thrombocytopenia (4.2% vs. 0%). Incidence rates for grade 3 or 4 hand-foot skin reaction (8.3% vs. 10.4%), diarrhea (8.3% vs. 10.4%) and alopecia (0% vs. 4.2%) were lower in the elderly patients compared with the nonelderly patients.  

Both groups had similar median overall survival rates after therapy (6.5 vs. 8.4 months). Analysis indicated that age was not associated with OS when adjusting for other related risk factors (P = .507).

“For patients with advanced HCC who conform to the inclusion criteria and do not have concomitant disease that would hinder therapy, sorafenib combined with TACE may be well tolerated and effective in elderly patients with advanced HCC,” the researchers concluded. “Further prospective randomized trials are needed to confirm the potential safety and benefit of sorafenib combined with TACE in elderly patients.”  

Disclosure: Relevant financial disclosures were not provided by researchers.