Abstract
Aim/Background: With the progressive aging of society, the number of elderly patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is increasing. We compared the efficacy and safety of sorafenib (SOR) for HCC between elderly and non-elderly patients. Method/Patients: We enrolled 66 HCC patients [elderly (≥75 years old) n=17, non-elderly (<75 years) n=49] treated with SOR and retrospectively evaluated their clinical features. Results: Total-bilirubin level and estimated glomerular filtration rate showed significant differences between the elderly and non-elderly groups (0.63±0.18 vs. 0.85±0.39 mg/dL, P=0.003; 69.0±5.7 vs. 77.6±27.3 mL/min/1.73 m2, P=0.041), while there were no differences for the other clinical features, including time to progression (median 5.2 vs. 5.4 months, P=0.754), rate of stopping SOR (3 months: 43.7% vs. 44.5%, P=0.494), and overall survival (6 months, 1 and 2 years: 90.9%, 70.7%, 15.2% vs. 60.0%, 43.1%, 23.9%, respectively, P=0.784). Conclusion: We concluded that SOR is safe and effective even in elderly patients with good performance status and hepatic reserve function.
