AKT inhibitor ARQ 092 and sorafenib additively inhibit progression of hepatocellular carcinoma and improve immune system in cirrhotic rat model

Abstract

Background and Aims: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is often diagnosed at advanced stages with limited number of therapeutic options. Longer exposure to classical treatment of advanced HCC, sorafenib, often over-activates AKT pathway, leading to HCC resistance. Moreover, AKT pathway itself is activated in almost half of HCC cases. Therefore, we investigated the efficacy of combination of Sorafenib with allosteric Akt inhibitor ARQ 092 in a DEN-induced cirrhotic rat model with HCC.