A Randomized, Double-Blinded, Placebo-Controlled Study of Sorafenib in Patients With Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Inclusion Criteria:

* Ages eligible for study: 18 years and above, Genders eligible for study: both
* Patients who have a life expectancy of at least 12 weeks
* Patients with advanced Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) (unresectable, and/or metastatic) which has been histologically or cytologically documented
* Patients must have at least one tumor lesion that meets both of the following criteria

  1. Accurately measured in at least one dimension according to Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST)
  2. Not been previously treated with local therapy
* Patients who have received local therapy, such as surgery, radiation therapy, hepatic arterial embolization, chemoembolization, radiofrequency ablation, percutaneous ethanol injection or cryoablation are eligible. Previously treated lesions will not be selected as target lesions. Local therapy must be completed at least 4 weeks prior to the baseline scan
* Patients who have an Eastern Co-operative Oncology Group (ECOG) Performance Status of 0, 1, or 2

Exclusion Criteria:

* Previous or concurrent cancer that is distinct in primary site or histology from HCC, EXCEPT cervical carcinoma in situ, treated basal cell carcinoma, superficial bladder tumors (Ta \[Noninvasive papillary carcinoma\], Tis \[Carcinoma in situ: "flat tumor"\]\&T1 \[Tumor invades subepithelial connective tissue\]). Any cancer curatively treated \> 3 years prior to entry is permitted
* History of cardiac disease
* Active clinically serious infections
* Known history of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection
* Known central nervous system (CNS) tumors including metastatic brain disease
* Patients with clinically significant gastrointestinal bleeding within 30 days prior to study entry