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Sorafenib is currently the first‐line therapy for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (aHCC) patients. However, the outcomes and prognostic factors of sorafenib therapy have not been well investigated. We aimed to investigate the pretreatment factors and outcomes among Taiwanese aHCC patients receiving sorafenib treatment. A total of 347 patients with aHCC and well‐compensated liver cirrhosis (Child‐Pugh A) status receiving sorafenib were consecutively enrolled from March 2013 through December 2016. Pre‐treatment clinical data and viral hepatitis markers were collected and analyzed with their outcomes. The primary endpoint of the study was overall survival. The factors associated with overall survival were also investigated. The median overall survival of all the patients was 238 days (range, 9‐1504 days) with a 1‐year overall survival of 43.2%. Positive hepatitis B surface antigen and absence of portal vein thrombosis (PVT) were independent factors associated with better overall survival. The median duration of sorafenib therapy was 93.0 days (range, 4‐1504 days). After stopping sorafenib, the median survival was 93.0 days (range, 1‐1254 days). The 1‐year survival after stopping sorafenib was 21.2%. In chronic hepatitis B patients, total bilirubin level was the only factor associated with overall survival. Hepatitis C antibody RNA negativity, tumor size, PVT, and white blood cell count were the independent factors associated with survival among those chronic hepatitis C patients. There were different prognostic factors stratified by viral etiologies in aHCC patients receiving sorafenib. Viral eradication increased survival in chronic hepatitis C patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aim Chronic hepatitis C virus ( HCV) infection has been suggested to be associated with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus and lipid profiles. This study aimed to investigate the possible relationships of insulin resistance ( IR) and lipid profiles with chronic hepatitis C ( CHC) patients in Taiwan. Methods We enrolled 160 hospital-based CHC patients with liver biopsy and the 480 controlled individuals without CHC and chronic hepatitis B from communities without known history of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. Fasting plasma glucose, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ( HDL- C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol ( LDL- C), triglycerides ( TGs), alanine aminotransferase, and serum insulin levels, and homeostasis model assessment ( HOMA-IR) were tested. Results When comparing factors between CHC patients, and sex- and age-matched controls who had no HCV infection, patients with HCV infection had a significantly higher alanine aminotransferase level, fasting plasma glucose level, insulin level, and HOMA-IR ( P < 0.001, P = 0.023, P = 0.017, and P = 0.011, respectively), and significantly lower TG level ( P = 0.023), total cholesterol, and HDL- C and LDL- C levels (all P < 0.001) than 480 controls. In multivariate logistic regression analyses, a low total cholesterol, a low TGs, and a high HOMA-IR are independent factors significantly associated with chronic HCV infection. In the 160 CHC patients (41 patients with high HOMA-IR [> 2.5]), a high body mass index, TGs, and HCV RNA level are independent factors significantly associated with high HOMA-IR in multivariate logistic analyses. Conclusions Chronic HCV infection was associated with metabolic characteristics including IR and lipid profile. IR was also associated with virological characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]