No benefit of Tarceva (Genentech/Roche) for patients with Liver Cancer

A Phase III trial evaluating the efficacy and safety of the addition of Tarceva (erlotinib), from Genentech/Roche, to sorafenib did not improve overall survival for patients with unresectable Liver Cancer vs. sorafenib alone. The international SEARCH trial randomised 720 patients with advanced Liver Cancer and examined whether the addition of Tarceva to sorafenib prolongs survival as compared to sorafenib alone in patients with unresectable LC. The primary endpoint of the study was overall survival and the secondary endpoints were safety, time to radiographic progression (TTP), disease control rate (DCR) and patient-reported outcome. The safety and tolerability of the treatment combination were generally as expected based upon experience and use of the two products alone and there were no new or unexpected toxicities. Data from this study will be presented at an upcoming scientific meeting.