title: Comparison of hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy and sorafenib in elderly patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma: A case series.
abstract: Sorafenib and hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy (HAIC) are both indicated for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In this study, we compared the efficacy and safety of HAIC to that of sorafenib in elderly patients with HCC. Eligible patients included those aged ≥70 years, with histologically or clinically confirmed advanced HCC. A total of 12 patients received sorafenib (800 mg per day) and 8 patients received HAIC with 5-fluorouracil (300 mg/m2on days 1-5 and 8-12) with or without cisplatin (20 mg/m2on days 1 and 8), with interferon-α (3 times per week for 4 weeks). The response rate was significantly higher in patients treated with HAIC (37.5%) compared to that in patients treated with sorafenib (no response). The median overall survival (18.6 and 11.7 months) and progression-free survival (4.0 and 5.0 months) were similar between the sorafenib and HAIC groups, respectively. In the sorafenib group, 58.3% of the patients discontinued treatment compared to none in the HAIC group. The most frequent adverse event leading to discontinuation of sorafenib was anorexia. Similar to sorafenib, HAIC appears to be a feasible treatment and may also have the advantage of an adequate safety profile for elderly patients with advanced HCC. Further study of HAIC in a larger population of elderly patients is required to assess its potential as an alternative to sorafenib for HCC.
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology, Second Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Fukui, Fukui 910-1193, Japan.
authors.forename: Tomoyuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nemoto
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology, Second Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Fukui, Fukui 910-1193, Japan.
authors.forename: Hidetaka
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Matsuda
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology, Second Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Fukui, Fukui 910-1193, Japan.
authors.forename: Takuto
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nosaka
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology, Second Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Fukui, Fukui 910-1193, Japan.
authors.forename: Yasushi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Saito
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology, Second Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Fukui, Fukui 910-1193, Japan.
authors.forename: Yoshihiko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ozaki
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology, Second Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Fukui, Fukui 910-1193, Japan.
authors.forename: Ryoko
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hayama
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology, Second Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Fukui, Fukui 910-1193, Japan.
authors.forename: Tatsushi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Naito
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology, Second Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Fukui, Fukui 910-1193, Japan.
authors.forename: Kazuto
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology, Second Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Fukui, Fukui 910-1193, Japan.
authors.forename: Kazuya
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ofuji
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology, Second Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Fukui, Fukui 910-1193, Japan.
authors.forename: Masahiro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ohtani
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology, Second Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Fukui, Fukui 910-1193, Japan.
authors.forename: Katsushi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hiramatsu
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology, Second Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Fukui, Fukui 910-1193, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Suto
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology, Second Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Fukui, Fukui 910-1193, Japan.
authors.forename: Yasunari
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nakamoto
keywords: alternative treatment; elderly patients; hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy; hepatocellular carcinoma; interferon; sorafenib