Relationship between sorafenib-associated hand-food skin reaction and efficacy in treatment of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma

Abstract

To investigate the link between the antitumor efficacy of sorafenib and its cutaneous side effects in advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We retrospectively analyzed the incidence of hand-foot skin reactions (HFRS) of 51 patients with advanced HCC who treated by sorafenib combined with transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE), comparing tumor disease control rate (DCR), median progression free survival (mPFS) and median overall survival (mOS) in the different severity HFRS groups. The Cox proportional hazard model was applied to the multivariate survival analysis for the PFS. Fifty-one HCC patients treated with sorafenib combined with TACE were included in this study. 13/51 without HFRS (grade 0), 38/51 developed at all grade 1-3, 27 developed at grade 1-2, 11 developed at grade 3. The DCR were 38.5%, 70.4% and 90.9% in the three groups (P < 0.05). Group grade 0 vs grade 1-3, P = 0.031, the difference had statistical significance. Group grade 1-2 vs grade 3, P = 0.352, the difference had no statistical significance. The mPFS were 2.8 months (95%CI 1.6 - 4.0), 4.5 (95%CI 1.3 - 7.7) months and 12.8 (95%CI 3.7 - 21.9) months (P < 0.05), group grade 0 vs grade 1-2, P = 0.019, HR (hazard ratio): 2.8 (95%CI 1.3 - 6.3), P = 0.010, group grade 0 vs grade 3, P < 0.01, HR 6.6 (95%CI 2.3 - 19.0), P < 0.01, group grade 1-2 vs grade 3, P = 0.054; the three groups' mOS were 8.5 months (95%CI 5.9 - 11.1), 13.0 (95%CI 10.1 - 15.9) months and 25.4 months, P < 0.05, there were statistically significant differences between the any two groups. HFRS should be closely monitored in HCC patients treated with sorafenib in relation to its potential role as a surrogate marker of efficacy, but it has yet to be demonstrated whether the efficacy increasing with the severity of HFRS or not.