The following is a summary of “Antiviral Therapy Utilization and 10-Year Outcomes in Resected Hepatitis B Virus– and Hepatitis C Virus–Related Hepatocellular Carcinoma,” published in the January 2024 issue of Oncology by Huang, et al.
For a study, researchers sought to investigate the utilization patterns and impact of antiviral therapy on long-term outcomes in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) related to hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) following hepatic resection.
A retrospective cohort study was conducted involving 1,906 participants (1,054 with HBV-related HCC and 852 with HCV-related HCC) from 12 international sites. All participants underwent curative surgical resection. Antiviral therapy utilization was assessed as the primary outcome, with long-term overall survival (OS) as the secondary outcome. Statistical analyses included Cox regression adjusted for confounding factors.
Among the participants, with a mean age of 62.1 (±11.3) years and predominantly male (74%) and Asian (84%), 47% received antiviral therapy during a mean follow-up of 5.0 years. Antiviral use in HBV-related HCC declined over time, from 65% before 2010 to 47% beyond 2015 (P < .0001), while in HCV-related HCC, it increased from 24% before 2015 to 74% from 2015 onwards (P < .0001). Untreated individuals had lower 10-year OS rates for both HBV (58% vs. 61%) and HCV (38% vs. 82%) (both P < .0001). Cox regression analysis revealed that antiviral therapy initiated before or within 6 months of HCC diagnosis was independently associated with lower mortality in both HBV- (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 0.60 [95% CI, 0.43 to 0.83]; P = .002) and HCV-related HCC (aHR, 0.18 [95% CI, 0.11 to 0.31]; P < .0001).
Antiviral therapy was significantly underutilized but associated with improved long-term survival in patients with HBV—or HCV-related HCC following curative resection. This underscores the importance of optimizing antiviral treatment in this population to enhance clinical outcomes.
Reference: ascopubs.org/doi/10.1200/JCO.23.00757