Characteristics of long-term survivors following sorafenib treatment for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma: report of a workshop at the 50th Annual Meeting of the Liver Cancer Study Group of Japan.

BACKGROUND Little data are available on the long-term survival of patients treated with sorafenib for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). SUMMARY During a consensus workshop at the 50th annual meeting of the Liver Cancer Study Group of Japan held in Kyoto (June 5-6, 2014), experts met to discuss the characteristics of long-term (>3 years) survivors of advanced HCC following sorafenib treatment. A total of 70 long-term survivors following sorafenib treatment at eight institutions were included, and the long-term survival rate (>3 years) at each institution ranged from 2.6 to 6.9% (mean, 4.5). The long-term survival-related factors presented can be categorized as follows: (1) conversion options, including hepatic resection following successful sorafenib treatment, (2) additional salvage options when progressive disease is confirmed, (3) long-term sorafenib treatment, (4) effective post-sorafenib options to prolong postprogression survival, and (5) good pretreatment liver function. Sorafenib monotherapy exceeding 3 years is rare, and most of the patients receiving sorafenib required other treatment modalities in the form of multidisciplinary therapy. CONCLUSION The overview obtained from the workshop reflects the pattern of management in practice for long-term survivors following sorafenib treatment for HCC in Japan and may also provide valuable information for other countries.