Prognostic Factors Associated with Postprogression Survival in Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma Patients Treated with Sorafenib Not Eligible for Second-Line Regorafenib Treatment

Abstract

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the prognostic factors associated with postprogression survival (PPS) in advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients treated with sorafenib, who were not eligible for second-line treatment with regorafenib. Methods: A total of 103 patients with radiological confirmation of progressive disease (PD) were enrolled. Results: The median PPS (n = 67) was 6.1 months. Significant and independent prognostic factors at initial radiological PD associated with good PPS were an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Performance Status (ECOG-PS) score of 0, the absence of macrovascular invasion (MVI), and time to progression (TTP) ≥4 months. Upon scoring these three variables as good PPS factors, the median PPS in the good PPS score of 3 or 2 group (n = 38) was significantly longer than that in the good PPS score of 1 or 0 group (n = 29) (16.6 vs. 2.9 months; p < 0.0001, respectively). Conclusions: An ECOG-PS score of 0, the absence of MVI, and TTP ≥4 months at first radiological confirmation of PD may be useful for predicting good PPS in patients with advanced HCC who do not meet the eligibility criteria for the RESORCE trial.