Effects of Achieving SVR on Clinical Characteristics and Surgical Outcomes in Patients Who Developed Early-Stage HCV-Related Hepatocellular Carcinoma and Received Curative Resection: Preoperative versus Postoperative SVR

Viruses. 2022 Oct 31;14(11):2412. doi: 10.3390/v14112412.

Abstract

The high accessibility to healthcare and increasing awareness of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) surveillance after sustained virologic response (SVR) to HCV treatment allow early detection of operable HCC in Taiwan. However, the effects of achieving SVR on patient characteristics and surgical outcomes after curative resection remain elusive. We aimed to compare the clinical presentation and postoperative prognosis among patients with early-stage HCV-related HCC and different viral status. We retrospectively analyzed 208 patients with BCLC stage 0 or A-HCC, including 44 patients who remained HCV viremic, 90 patients who developed HCC after achieving SVR (post-SVR HCC), and 74 patients who subsequently achieved SVR after resection. Patients with post-SVR HCC had a lower degree of hepatitis and better liver function than those who achieved SVR or remained viremic after resection. Notably, 75.6% of patients with post-SVR HCC did not have cirrhosis. Patients with post-SVR HCC and those achieving SVR after resection exhibited comparable recurrence rates and recurrence-free survival, while patients with persistent viremia had the worst surgical outcomes. We concluded that patients with post-SVR HCC had a better liver function but similar surgical outcomes compared with patients who achieved SVR after resection. The low prevalence of cirrhosis in patients with post-SVR HCC highlights the importance of regular surveillance after SVR.

Keywords: chronic hepatitis C; hepatocellular carcinoma; recurrence; sustained virologic response; viremia.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Antiviral Agents / therapeutic use
  • Carcinoma, Hepatocellular* / drug therapy
  • Hepatitis C* / complications
  • Hepatitis C* / drug therapy
  • Humans
  • Liver Cirrhosis / drug therapy
  • Liver Neoplasms* / drug therapy
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Sustained Virologic Response
  • Viremia / drug therapy

Substances

  • Antiviral Agents

Grants and funding

This study was supported partially by grants from National Science Council of Taiwan (grant number MOST 109-2314-B-037-045-MY3 and 111-2314-B-037-102) and National Pingtung University of Science and Technology and Kaohsiung Medical University (NPUST kmU-111-P009).