Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 12, 2026
Isolated Hepatic Perfusion as a Treatment for Liver Metastases of Uveal Melanoma
Published on: January 25, 2015
Assessment of response to sorafenib in advanced hepatocellular carcinoma using perfusion computed tomography: results
Rodolfo Sacco1, Lorenzo Faggioni, Irene Bargellini
1Gastroenterology Department, Pisa University Hospital, Pisa, Italy.
Aims:
This prospective pilot study investigated the feasibility of perfusion computed tomography parameters as surrogate markers of angiogenesis and early response following sorafenib administration in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma.
Methods:
Ten patients were evaluated with perfusion computed tomography before starting sorafenib and after 3 months. Blood flow, blood volume, mean transit time, hepatic arterial fraction, and permeability surface-product were compared in tumour lesions and in hepatic parenchyma at baseline and at follow-up. Correlation between these parameters and changes in alpha-fetoprotein levels was calculated.
Results:
At baseline, blood volume, blood flow, hepatic arterial fraction and permeability surface values were higher in lesions compared to those in hepatic parenchyma, while mean transit time was lower (p<0.05). After sorafenib treatment, only mean transit time was significantly increased versus baseline (p<0.05). At follow-up, plasma alpha-fetoprotein levels decreased in all patients. At follow-up, an inverse correlation was observed between baseline mean transit time and changes in alpha-fetoprotein (r=-0.6685, p=0.0125), as well as a correlation between baseline blood flow and alpha-fetoprotein (r=0.6476, p=0.0167).
Conclusion:
This pilot study suggests that after sorafenib treatment an increase in mean transit time observed in tumour lesions is inversely correlated with alpha-fetoprotein reductions after therapy. Mean transit time may represent a possible marker of response irrespectively of alpha-fetoprotein values.
