Real-World Treatment Patterns and Health-Resource Utilization in Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) Following Failure of Sorafenib: A Retrospective Chart Review of 127 Patients in South Korea

BACKGROUND: European, US, Asian and Korean treatment guidelines all recommend sorafenib as first-line systemic therapy in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, due to the emergence of several new treatments, post-sorafenib treatment patterns in real-world clinical practice are less well understood. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to characterize current treatment patterns and healthcare resource utilization (HRU) in patients with HCC following the failure of first-line sorafenib in a real-world setting in Korea. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A chart review was conducted in 127 HCC patients who received systemic therapy or best supportive care following failure of first-line systemic treatment with sorafenib (2016–2018). Anonymized data on patient characteristics, treatment patterns, and survival were abstracted by 37 physicians in Korea. RESULTS: The mean (range) age of patients was 60 (37–79) years; 63 patients had low alpha-fetoprotein (AFP < 400 ng/mL), 64 patients had high alpha-fetoprotein (AFP ≥ 400 ng/mL). Post-sorafenib, 64 (50%) patients had systemic therapy. Regorafenib, used by 54 (84%) patients in second-line, and nivolumab monotherapy, by ten (56%) patients in third-line, were the most common therapies. Hepatologist visits and hospitalizations, at an average rate of 6.89 (95% CI 6.37–7.45) and 2.24 (95% CI 1.95–2.57) per patient-year, respectively, were the key contributors of HRU. The median overall survival (95% CI) from discontinuation of sorafenib was 13.0 (9.8–20.7), 6.5 (5.0–9.5) and 9.5 (6.7–12.3) months in the low AFP, high AFP and overall group, respectively. CONCLUSION: This real-world evidence research on treatment patterns reflected current clinical guidelines and highlighted fast progressing nature and continuing high mortality in HCC, especially among the high AFP group, underlying a need for new treatments that can lengthen survival. Results from this real-world chart review, together with existing clinical trial data, can inform future evaluations of new HCC treatments that estimate their health economic impact in Korea. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40801-021-00286-z.