Direct-Acting Antiviral Therapy and Recurrence of Hepatitis C-Related Hepatocellular Carcinoma

According to results of a retrospective cohort study of patients with hepatitis C viral (HCV)-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who had achieved a complete response (CR) to anticancer treatment, subsequent direct-acting anti-hepatitis C viral therapy was not associated with recurrence of HCC. This study was published online in Gastroenterology.

Previous research had shown an association between achievement of a sustained hepatitis C viral response with interferon-based therapy administered following curative treatment for HCC and a decreased likelihood of disease recurrence. The current study was conducted to investigate whether direct-acting antiviral therapy administered in the same setting had an impact on the recurrence of disease in this population.

A total of 793 patients from 31 different sites in the United States and Canada who had achieved a complete response (CR) following treatment for HCV-related HCC during the period of 2013 to 2017 were included in the analysis. The percentages of patients who had or had not received subsequent direct-acting antiviral therapy were 38.3% and 61.7%, respectively. The HCC recurrence rate was 42.1% in the former group and 58.9% in the latter group.

After taking into account specific patient-, disease- and treatment-related factors, no association between direct-acting antiviral therapy and overall HCC recurrence (hazard ratio=0.90; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.70–1.16) or early HCC recurrence (hazard ratio=0.96; 95% CI, 0.70–1.34) was observed.

“Our results suggest use of direct-acting antiviral therapies is safe and potentially beneficial in hepatitis-C–infected patients with a history of HCC,” the authors concluded.

Reference

1. Singal AG, Rich NE, Mehta N, et al. Direct-Acting antiviral therapy not associated with recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma in a multicenter North American cohort study [published online on January 17, 2019]. Gastroenterology. doi: 10.1053/j.gastro.2019.01.027

This article originally appeared on Cancer Therapy Advisor