Animal model studies indicate a candidate biomarker for sorafenib treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma.

In contrast to common genomic amplifications that support cancer cell growth by rewiring intracellular signaling, VEGFA amplification drives tumor cell proliferation via the tumor microenvironment. VEGFA amplification is present in a subset of mouse and human hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs) that appear to be particularly sensitive to sorafenib treatment, indicating its potential value as a biomarker for HCC treatment.