Phase II trial of SOM230 (pasireotide LAR) in patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma Lynn G Feun,¹ Medhi Wangpaichitr,² Ying-Ying Li,¹ Deukwoo Kwon,³ Stephen P Richman,¹ Peter J Hosein,¹ Niramol Savaraj¹,² ¹Department of Medicine, Medical Oncology, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Miami, ²Department of Surgery, Miami VA Healthcare System, Research Service, ³Biostatistics and Bioinformatics Core, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA Background: A phase II trial of pasireotide was performed to assess its efficacy and safety in advanced or metastatic hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).Patients and methods: Patients with advanced HCC and Child–Pugh score ≤7 received pasireotide LAR 60 mg intramuscularly every 28 days. Primary endpoint was disease control rate. Secondary endpoints were time to tumor progression, response rate, treatment-related adverse events, and overall survival. Serum insulin growth factor-1 was measured before and after pasireotide.Results: Twenty patients were treated and evaluable. Eighteen patients (90%) had prior therapy; 16 patients (80%) had multiple therapies. Median age was 65, 75% had Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer stage C, and 55% had metastatic disease. The main toxicity was hyperglycemia. Rare adverse effects included reversible grade 4 elevation in alanina transaminase/aspartate transaminase in one patient. The best response was stable disease in 9 patients (45%). Median time to tumor progression for the 20 patients was 3 months, and median survival was 9 months.Conclusion: Pasireotide had limited clinical benefit as second-line or third-line treatment in patients with advanced or metastatic HCC. Low baseline insulin growth factor-1 level may be indicative when SOM230 treatment may be ineffective, and decreasing levels after treatment may be indicative of disease control. Keywords: pasireotide, hepatocellular carcinoma, insulin growth factor-1