In patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) is first line therapy. Non-responders to TACE (i.e. stable or progressive disease) represent a poor prognosis population with limited options. Sorafenib is indicated for first line salvage therapy, however it only improves survival 2-3 months and just has a 2-3% response rate. Thus, sorafenib is merely a cytostatic agent that delays progression and does not cytoreduce disease.~Radiation therapy (RT) is a non-invasive treatment that can cytoreduce HCC with minimal morbidity using modern techniques. A meta-analysis and multiple retrospective series suggest TACE + RT improve survival when compared to TACE alone. Higher RT doses are similarly associated with increased survival due to improved local control. Paradoxically, some series suggest that RT can induce vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression which may stimulate HCC.~Pre-clinical data suggest that combining RT with concurrent sorafenib (a VEGF inhibitor) improves tumor control. However, clinical data is limited to case reports and safety has not been well characterized. Prior to determining if this combination can improve control of HCC in this poor prognosis population, the optimal radiation dose with concurrent sorafenib must be determined by a phase I dose escalation trial.
To determine the maximum tolerated radiation dose with concurrent sorafenib for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma that has not responded to transarterial chemoembolization.