The Comparative Safety And Efficacy Of S-1 Versus The Best Supportive Care In Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma

The safety and efficacy of S-1 relative to the best supportive care (BSC) for the treatment of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) have not yet been elucidated. We retrospectively recruited 46 cases of advanced HCC from December 2009 to December 2014. Twenty-five patients received S-1 treatment, and twenty-one patients received BSC. The primary outcomes were progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and the safety profiles of the two therapies. The median duration of follow-up was 12.3 months (range, 4-25 months). The median number of cycles administered in the S-1 group was 3.5 (range, 2-7 cycles). S-1 therapy was well tolerated. The most common grade 3-4 toxicities experienced in the S-1 group were leucopenia/neutropenia (16.0%), thrombocytopenia (12.0%), and an elevated serum aspartate aminotransferase level (12.0%). In the S-1 group, 2 patients (8.0%) had a partial response, 13 (52.0%) maintained stable disease, and 10 (40.0%) experienced disease progression. In the BSC group, 4 patients (19.0%) had stable disease, and 17 patients (81.0%) had progressive disease. The median PFS times of the S-1 and BSC group were 6.84 months (95% confidence interval [CI], 5.56-8.12 months) and 3.67 months (95% CI, 2.91-4.43 months), respectively (P=0.001). The median OS in the S-1 group was 14.56 months (95% CI, 12.70 16.42 months), which was significantly longer than that of 7.71 months (95% CI, 6.34-9.09 months) in the BSC group. S-1 was well tolerated in patients with advanced HCC. Patients who received S-1 therapy achieved better PFS and OS than those who received BSC. S-1 may be a promising therapeutic option for patients with advanced HCC.