Objective To observe the efficacy and safety of sorafenib in the treatment of the unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma.Methods According to the inclusion criteria,33 patients with the unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma were given sorafenib (400 mg for twice per day).During the course of treatment,dose was adjusted based on the degree of the adverse effects.Tumor response to sorafenib and safety was assessed every 6-8 weeks using the modified RECIST criteria.The survial curve for the time to progression (TTP) and overall survival (OS) were estimated.Results In this series,there was no patients achieved complete response (CR) and partial response (PR),1 1 patients were evaluated as with stable disease(SD),22 patients were with progressive disease (PD).The median TTP was 5.6 months (2.3-8.9 months).The median TTP was longer in patients with BCLC B than BCLC C stage.TTP was longer in good than in poor performance status patients,and shorter in extrahepatic metastasis than in no extrahepatic metastasis patients.The overall incidence of adverse events was 75.8％.The most common adverse events were hand foot skin reaction,diarrhea,hypertension and rash.Three patients had grade 3 adverse events.Conclusions Sorafenib can extend the median time to progression in patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma.Patients with earlier stage of HCC and better performance status are hopeful for more positive response to the treatment of sorafenib.