Direct-acting Antiviral Therapy Improves the Outcome of Chronic Hepatitis C/intermediate-stage B Hepatocellular Carcinoma Patients.

BACKGROUND/AIM The benefit of direct-acting antiviral therapy (DAA) in chronic hepatitis C (CHC) infected patients who received curative treatment for early-stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is well known, but is unclear for intermediate stage HCC. PATIENTS AND METHODS CHC patients with Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) stage B HCC receiving chemoembolization were identified. Univariate, multivariate analyses, and Kaplan-Meier curve were used to identify factors associated with survival outcomes. RESULTS Among 113 included patients, the median survival of DAA treated group (n=14) and non-treated group (n=99) were 40.1 months and 22.9 months, respectively. Multivariate analysis showed that Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) score, DAA, and serum albumin were key independent factors associated with overall survival. Moreover, the time-to-complete remission (TTCR) was improved in the DAA treated group. CONCLUSION ECOG, DAA, and serum albumin were prognostic factors for CHC/intermediate-stage HCC patients. DAA was also a beneficial factor for TTCR.