Eradication of Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) Improves Survival of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Patients with Active HCV Infection – A Real-World Cohort Study

BACKGROUND: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) caused by hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection has become less and less due to the use of direct-acting antiviral agents (DAAs). Although it may be common to assume that eradication of the virus should improve the survival of HCC patients, large-scale randomized clinical data to support the correlation between viral load and prognosis are still lacking in China. The aim of the study was to evaluate the efficacy of antiviral therapy for HCC patients with active HCV infection. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We retrospectively enrolled 80 HCC patients with active HCV infection. Active HCV infection was defined as positive for HCV antibody with detectable HCV RNA by polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: Forty-four patients (55.0%) received interferon combined with ribavirin treatment and 23 patients achieved sustained virological response (SVR). The 1-year survival rate in patients who achieved SVR was the highest, followed by those with non-SVR after antiviral treatment, and those without antiviral therapy (1-year survival rate were 91.3%, 88.4%, and 73.1%, respectively, P = 0.012). In the univariate analysis, alcohol intake and alpha-fetoprotein >20 ng/mL were associated with lower overall survival (OS) (P = 0.025 and P = 0.044, respectively), while SVR after antiviral treatment was associated with longer OS (P = 0.016). In the multivariate analysis, only SVR after antiviral treatment was significantly associated with OS (P = 0.014). CONCLUSION: Our results ensured that the elimination of HCV substantially improved OS in HCC patients with active HCV infection, and the prognosis of those patients without antiviral therapy was poor.