Management of systemic therapies and hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma based on sarcopenia assessment

Background: Sarcopenia, defined as the loss of skeletal muscle mass, physical performance, and strength, has been associated with poor clinical outcomes in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients treated with several therapies. As systemic therapies, including molecular targeted agents, have a strong impact on sarcopenia, we aimed to review the impact of sarcopenia in patients receiving systemic therapies, especially sorafenib and hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy (HAIC). Summary: Several studies have demonstrated that sarcopenia is associated with poor clinical outcomes in patients receiving sorafenib or lenvatinib, while HAIC has no association with overall survival (OS) and sarcopenia. Furthermore, based on our previous study, we developed the management of sorafenib score (MS score) to stratify patients ’ survival according to the positivity of three parameters (skeletal muscle mass, disease control of sorafenib, and post-sorafenib therapy), ranging from 0 to 3. Patients with an MS score ≥2 (median survival time [MST], 16.4 months) showed significantly longer survival than those with an MS scor e ≤1 (MST, 8.4 months) (p
Source: Liver Cancer - Category: Cancer & Oncology Source Type: research