Review Article
Open Access
Chencheng Xie, Ashwani K. Singal
Published online February 8, 2025
Journal of Clinical and Translational Hepatology.
doi:10.14218/JCTH.2024.00499
Abstract
Direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) have dramatically changed the landscape of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) treatment and significantly reduced the risk of HCV-related hepatocellular
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Direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) have dramatically changed the landscape of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) treatment and significantly reduced the risk of HCV-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after achieving sustained virologic response. However, the risk of HCC persists, particularly in patients with pre-treatment cirrhosis or fibrosis stage 3 (F3), even after DAA-induced viral eradication. While professional guidelines agree on the need for surveillance in cirrhotic patients, there is no consensus regarding surveillance for the pre-treatment F3 population following HCV eradication. The risk of HCC in the F3 population falls below the threshold for cost-effective surveillance. However, co-existing risk factors—such as diabetes, hepatic steatosis, alcohol use, advanced age, and elevated alpha-fetoprotein levels—may warrant reconsideration of HCC surveillance in this group. This underscores the need for an individualized, risk-based approach to HCC surveillance. This review provided a simplified algorithm to assist clinicians in managing patients with HCV after DAA-induced sustained virologic response.
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