Sorafenib combined with transcatheter arterial chemoembolization and radiofrequency ablation in the treatment of postoperative recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma

Objective To explore the therapeutic effect of sorafenib combined with transcatheter arterial chemoembolization（TACE）and radiofrequency ablation（RFA）in patients with postoperative recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma（HCC），and to provide a reference for clinical selection of reasonable intervention plans. Methods A total of 107 patients with postoperative recurrent HCC diagnosed and treated in Hengshui Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine from January 2020 to March 2022 were selected as the research subjects. They were divided into the combination group（n=53）and the control group（n=54）by random number table method. The control group was treated with TACE combined with RFA，while the combination group was additionally given sorafenib tosylate tablets at a dose of 400 mg per time，twice a day，until the HCC progressed again. The clinical efficacy of the two groups was compared，as well as the serum levels of alpha-fetoprotein（AFP），α-L-fucosidase（AFU）and abnormal prothrombin（APT）before and after treatment. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to draw survival curves for comparing the 2- year survival status of the two groups.Results The Objective response rate of the combination group was significantly higher than that of the control group（83.02% vs 61.11%，χ2=6.363，P=0.012）. There were no statistically significant differences in the levels of AFP，AFU and APT between the two groups before treatment（P>0.05）. At 2，4 and 6 months after treatment，the levels of AFP，AFU and APT in the combination group were lower than those in the control group（P