Trial of Sorafenib in Hepatocellular Cancer (HCC) Transplant Patients

Sorafenib (BAY 43-9006) is an oral multi-kinase inhibitor with effects on tumor proliferation and angiogenesis. Sorafenib is approved for the treatment of patients with advanced renal cancer and unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The recommended daily dose of Sorafenib is 400 mg (2 x 200 mg tablets) taken twice daily without food (at least 1 hour before or 2 hours after a meal). Studies of single-agent sorafenib showed treatment was well-tolerated with manageable side effects. The results seen with sorafenib in the Phase III (SHARP) trial suggest that VEGF and RAF kinase inhibition prolong survival in patients with advanced HCC. It is not known whether a drug which is considered primarily cytostatic will be effective in preventing cancer recurrences in the setting of minimal residual disease. This is a phase I, single center, open-label, dose-escalation study to determine the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) and overall safety profile of daily sorafenib as therapy to prevent HCC recurrence in liver transplant subjects with high-risk HCC. For each subject, the study will consist of two phases: a treatment phase and an extension phase.