Initiating sorafenib therapy at lower doses was linked with reduced pill burden and lower cost, according to a retrospective analysis involving >4,900 individuals with hepatocellular carcinoma. Moreover, survival rates were similar compared to patients treated with standard dosing. Participants were treated at 128 VA hospitals and were prescribed sorafenib for hepatocellular carcinoma between 2006 and 2015. Investigators looked at overall survival in those treated with standard (n=3,094) and reduced (n=1,809) dosing. Among the results:

• Patients receiving reduced dosing had more Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer stage D.
• They also had higher Model for End-Stage Liver Disease Sodium, Child-Turcotte-Pugh, and Cirrhosis Comorbidity Index scores.
• After adjusting for certain variables, overall survival rates in both groups were similar.
• Patients receiving reduced dosing spent less on their medication.
• They were also slightly less likely to discontinue treatments due to GI adverse events, but the difference was not statistically significant.