A trial comparing lenvatinib and sorafenib for primary liver cancer

This trial is comparing an experimental drug called lenvatinib with an approved drug called sorafenib for people with a type of primary liver cancer called hepatocellular carcinoma.

Doctors use a number of different treatments for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). If it is not possible to remove the cancer with surgery, one treatment your doctor may recommend is sorafenib. This is a standard treatment for some people with advanced HCC.

Lenvatinib (previously known as E7080) targets certain proteins on cancer cells or on blood vessels including receptors for vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF).

VEGF helps cancers to grow blood vessels, so they can get food and oxygen from the blood. All cancers need a blood supply to be able to survive and grow. Lenvatinib blocks the receptor for this protein, stopping VEGF binding to it. This prevents the cancer from developing new blood vessels and hopefully stops the cancer from growing.

Lenvatinib has been looked at in trials in other types of cancer including thyroid cancer, and in an earlier small study for people with HCC. The researchers now want to compare lenvatinib with sorafenib.

The main aims of this trial are to find out

• Whether lenvatinib or sorafenib is better at treating HCC

• Learn more about the side effects of each treatment