AFP and Liver Cancer.

[Dewan52]

My AFP increases when I reduce the dose of sorafenib because of side effects e.g. skin blisters, painful round swelling of palm and sole,sore tongue, mouth etc.But some times after healing of skin and other problems I start start full dose then again side effects reappears and AFP comes down. Would it have negative effects on my malignant liver lesson or bad prognosis.Please assure me about overall progress of malignant liver lesson in such a situation if anyone is there who is well conversant about the disease. Thanks every body.

[Kristian]

Hi Dewan,

See the link below from Cancer Research UK about Sorefanib. I appreciate that you are in the US, but the advice will be the same.

cancerresearchuk.org/about-...

What you describe does appear to be one of the side affects of that drug. However, you will note on the front page is advice to not alter the dose you are prescribed without your doctors advice.

It looks like the drug works by cutting of the cancer's ability to reproduce itself and cutting off the mechanisms by which it gets its blood supply. So if you are taking a smaller dose than is required the drug will not be as effective as it would be if you were taking the right dose. Its therefore unlikely to be doing the job its there to do. Hence the reason your AFP results will be rising when you take less of the drug. In simple terms there's not enough of the drug in your system and therefore the cancer is able to continue to grow.

I don't have HCC, but if it were me I'd continue to take the dose I was prescribed and try and find a way of managing the side effects. But, that needs to be done in consultation with your doctor, they are the only ones who will be able to give you the right advice when it comes to medication, although others on here my be able to say what they did if they encountered this problem from a non medication view point.

[Njovu]

In July my cancer tumours in my liver had reduced by 16% and AFP down to 400 from 2000 ; I stopped sorafenib in August (my side effects none of the above or what the book says) as get incredibly tired and sleep all day and I had to resume safari work and needed my wits about me - now the cancer has spread out of the liver and my AFP 3300!!! ; have started again as now a 7 on the Child-Pugh score and the hospital does not want to treat me with Chemo until I get back to a 6!!!