Examining the Efficacy of Sorafenib - a Meta-Analysis

Objectives. The recently approved drug sorafenib has been found to be effective against renal cell carcinoma and hepatocellular carcinoma. A meta-analysis to examine the extent to which this drug is effective in comparison to a placebo-based therapy regimen was conducted. Material and Methods. We performed a literature survey and recognized randomized controlled trials that had judged the efficacy of sorafenib in comparison to placebos in preventing renal cell carcinoma or hepatocellular carcinoma. The authors have evaluated the data separately. Results. This analysis contains data from 3,659 patients. The percentage of patients who responded either completely or partially to a sorafenib-based therapy regimen was 6.5% as compared to 2.2% from a placebo-based therapy regimen (log odds ratio = 0.48, 95% CI = 2.893, -1.933). It has also been found that the mean time for progression free survival (PFS) is 5 months for the sorafenib-based therapy regimen as compared to 2.88 months, which is the mean time for progression free survival with a placebo-based therapy regimen. Conclusions. It was concluded that a sorafenib-based therapy regimen yields a better response and more time for progression free survival in patients with renal cell carcinoma or hepatocellular carcinoma as compared to a placebo-based therapy regimen (Adv Clin Exp Med 2011, 20, 3, 335-342).