Antiviral prophylactic intervention for chronic hepatitis C virus in patients undergoing liver transplantation

Response-Guided Therapy for Hepatitis C Virus Recurrence Based on Early Protocol Biopsy after Liver Transplantation

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) recurrence after liver transplantation (LT) is universal and progressive. Here, we report recent results of response-guided therapy for HCV recurrence based on early protocol biopsy after LT. We reviewed patients who underwent LT for HCV related liver disease between 2010 and 2012. Protocol biopsies were performed at 3, 6, and 12 months after LT in HCV recurrence (positive HCV-RNA). For any degree of fibrosis, ≥ moderate inflammation on histology or HCV hepatitis accompanying with abnormal liver function, we treated with pegylated interferon and ribavirin. We adjusted treatment period according to individual response to treatment. Among 41 HCV related recipients, 25 (61.0%) who underwent protocol biopsies more than once were enrolled in this study. The mean follow-up time was 43.1 (range, 23-55) months after LT. Genotype 1 and 2 showed in 56.0% and 36.0% patients, respectively. Of the 25 patients, 20 (80.0%) started HCV treatment after LT. Rapid or early virological response was observed in 20 (100%) patients. Fifteen (75.0%) patients finished the treatment with end-of-treatment response. Sustained virological response (SVR) was in 11 (55.0%) patients, including 5 (41.7%) of 12 genotype 1 and 6 (75.0%) of 8 non-genotype 1 (P = 0.197). Only rapid or complete early virological response was a significant predictor for HCV treatment response after LT (100% in SVR group vs. 55.6% in non-SVR group, P = 0.026). Overall 3-yr survival rate was 100%. In conclusion, response-guided therapy for HCV recurrence based on early protocol biopsy after LT shows encouraging results.

Post-liver transplant hepatitis C virus recurrence: an unresolved thorny problem

Hepatitis C virus (HCV)-related cirrhosis represents the leading cause of liver transplantation in developed, Western and Eastern countries. Unfortunately, liver transplantation does not cure recipient HCV infection: reinfection universally occurs and disease progression is faster after liver transplant. In this review we focus on what happens throughout the peri-transplant phase and in the first 6-12 mo after transplantation: during this crucial period a completely new balance between HCV, liver graft, the recipient's immune response and anti-rejection therapy is achieved that will deeply affect subsequent outcomes. Nearly all patients show an early graft reinfection, with HCV viremia reaching and exceeding pre-transplant levels; in this setting, histological assessment is essential to differentiate recurrent hepatitis C from acute or chronic rejection; however, differentiating the two patterns remains difficult. The host immune response (mainly cellular mediated) appears to be crucial both in the control of HCV infection and in the genesis of rejection, and it is also strongly influenced by immunosuppressive treatment. At present no clear immunosuppressive strategy could be strongly recommended in HCV-positive recipients to prevent HCV recurrence, even immunotherapy appears to be ineffective. Nonetheless it seems reasonable that episodes of rejection and over-immunosuppression are more likely to enhance the risk of HCV recurrence through immunological mechanisms. Both complete prevention of rejection and optimization of immunosuppression should represent the main goals towards reducing the rate of graft HCV reinfection. In conclusion, post-transplant HCV recurrence remains an unresolved, thorny problem because many factors remain obscure and need to be better determined.

Antiviral prophylaxis for the prevention of chronic hepatitis C virus in patients undergoing liver transplantation

BACKGROUND

It is not clear whether prophylactic antiviral therapy is indicated to improve patient and graft survival in patients undergoing liver transplantation for chronic decompensated hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection.

OBJECTIVES

To compare the benefits and harms of different prophylactic antiviral therapies for patients undergoing liver transplantation for chronic HCV infection.

SEARCH METHODS

We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL; Issue 1, 2013), MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Science Citation Index Expanded to February 2013.

SELECTION CRITERIA

Only randomised clinical trials irrespective of language, blinding, or publication status and comparing various prophylactic antiviral therapies (alone or in combination) in the prophylactic treatment of patients undergoing liver transplantation for chronic HCV infection.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

Two authors collected the data independently. We calculated the risk ratio (RR) or mean difference (MD) or hazard ratio (HR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) using the fixed-effect and the random-effects models based on available case analysis.

MAIN RESULTS

A total of 501 liver transplant recipients undergoing liver transplantation for chronic HCV infection were randomised in 12 trials to various experimental interventions and control interventions. The proportion of genotype I varied between 49% and 100% in the seven trials that reported the genotype. Only one or two trials were included under each comparison. All the trials were of high risk of bias. Ten trials including 441 liver transplant recipients provided data for this review.There were no significant differences in the 90-day mortality (1 trial; 81 participants; 5/35 (adjusted proportion: 14.2%) in interferon group versus 5/46 (10.9%) in control group; RR 1.31; 95% CI 0.41 to 4.19); mortality at maximal follow-up (2 trials; 105 participants; 7/47 (adjusted proportion: 14.8%) in interferon group versus 10/58 (17.2%) in control group; RR 0.86; 95% CI 0.36 to 2.08); long-term mortality (1 trial; 81 participants; HR 0.45; 95% CI 0.13 to 1.56); mortality at maximal follow-up (1 trial; 54 participants; 1/26 (3.9%) in pegylated interferon group versus 2/28 (7.1%) in control group; RR 0.54; 95% CI 0.05 to 5.59); 90-day mortality (1 trial; 115 participants; 5/55 (9.1%) in pegylated interferon plus ribavirin group versus 3/60 (5.0%) in control group; RR 1.82; 95% 0.46 to 7.25); 90-day mortality (3 trials; 53 participants; 3/37 (adjusted proportion: 4.3%) in HCV antibody group versus 1/16 (6.3%) in placebo group; RR 0.69; 95% CI 0.15 to 3.11); or 90-day mortality (2 trials; 31 participants; 2/14 (adjusted proportion: 16.2%) in HCV antibody high-dose group versus 1/17 (5.9%) in HCV antibody low-dose group; RR 2.75; 95% CI; 0.30 to 25.35). There were no significant differences in the retransplantation at maximal follow-up (2 trials; 105 participants; 2/47 (adjusted proportion: 4.0%) in interferon group versus 2/58 (3.4%) in control group; RR 1.17; 95% CI 0.22 to 6.2); 90-day retransplantation (1 trial; 18 participants; 1/12 (8.3%) in HCV antibody group versus 0/6 (0%) in control group; RR 1.71; 95% CI 0.09 to 32.93); or 90-day retransplantation (1 trial; 12 participants; 1/6 (17.7%) in HCV antibody high-dose group versus 0/6 (0%) in HCV antibody low-dose group; RR 3.00; 95% CI 0.15 to 61.74). There were no significant differences in serious adverse events, graft rejection, worsening of fibrosis, or HCV recurrence between intervention and control groups in any of the comparisons that reported these outcomes. None of the trials reported quality of life, liver decompensation, intensive therapy unit stay, or hospital stay. Life-threatening adverse events were not reported in either group in any of the comparisons.

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS

There is currently no evidence to recommend prophylactic antiviral treatment to prevent recurrence of HCV infection either in primary liver transplantation or retransplantation. Further randomised clinical trials with adequate trial methodology and adequate duration of follow-up are necessary.

Treatment of hepatitis C in compensated cirrhotic patients is equally effective before and after liver transplantation

AIM: To investigate differences in tolerability and response to treatment in compensated cirrhotic patients affected by hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection before and after liver transplantation.

METHODS: Forty-three HCV non-liver transplanted (LT) cirrhotics (mean age 55 ± 8 years, 65.1% male, Child-Pugh-A, genotype 1-4: 65.1%, 2-3: 34.9%) and 17 LT recipients with recurrent HCV-related cirrhosis (mean age 57 ± 9 years, 88.2% male, Child-Pugh-A, genotype 1-4: 76.5%, 2-3: 23.5%) were included in the analysis from retrospective series. All patients received recombinant or pegylated interferon plus ribavirin at a standard dose and duration. Adverse events were recorded and classified according to the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events. The mean duration of follow-up was of 4.3 ± 1.8 years after the end of the treatment.

RESULTS: An early virological response (EVR) was achieved in 30/43 (69.8%) non-LT and in 8/17 (47.1%) LT cirrhotics, a sustained virological response (SVR) in 18/43 (41.9%) and 5/17 (29.4 %), respectively. No statistical difference was observed in EVR and SVR rates between the two groups. Among HCV non-LT cirrhotics, 6/43 (13.9%) discontinued the treatment prematurely, 11.6% of them receiving ≤ 80% of treatment; 8/17 (47%) LT cirrhotics withdrew the treatment, 35.2% of them receiving ≤ 80% of treatment. If compared with LT-ones (P = 0.015), an higher risk of treatment discontinuation could affect LT cirrhotics, who undergo more frequently ≤ 80% of treatment (P = 0.05). None of the non-LT cirrhotics died after the end of the treatment. With no regards to the achievement of SVR, LT cirrhotic patients showed a reduced survival in respect to non-LT ones (87% at 1 year, 76% at 3 and 5 years after the end of treatment).

CONCLUSION: HCV antiviral treatment is equally effective in compensated cirrhotics both before and after LT, which patients show a higher risk of premature treatment withdrawal and a reduced survival, independently of the achievement of SVR.

Histopathological causes of late liver allograft dysfunction: analysis at a single institution

Background

We summarize our experience in the pathological diagnosis of late complications of liver transplantation (LT) to better understand the causes of late allograft dysfunction in a population mostly composed of patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection.

Methods

We reviewed 361 post-transplant liver biopsies from 174 patients who underwent LT and first presented with liver function abnormalities 3 months post-procedure. The underlying diseases included HBV-associated liver disease (77%), toxic or alcoholic liver disease (10.3%), hepatitis C virus (HCV)-associated liver disease (8.6%), primary biliary cirrhosis (1.2%), primary sclerosing cholangitis (1.2%), and metabolic disease (1.7%).

Results

The three most common late complications were acute rejection (32.5%), recurrent disease (19.1%), and biliary complication (17.1%). Patients who underwent LT for HBV infection or for drug- or alcohol-related liver disease had a lower incidence of recurring disease than those who underwent transplantation for HCV infection. During post-transplantation months 3-12, acute rejection was the most common cause of allograft dysfunction and recurring disease was the leading cause for allograft dysfunction (p=0.039). The two primary causes of late allograft dysfunction have overlapping histological features, although acute rejection more frequently showed bile duct damage and vascular endothelialitis than recurring HBV infection, and recurring HBV infection had more frequent lobular activity and piecemeal necrosis.

Conclusions

The causes of late liver allograft dysfunction are closely associated with the original liver diseases and the period after LT. Careful attention is required for differential diagnosis between acute rejection and recurrent HBV.

Living-donor liver transplantation and hepatitis C

Hepatitis-C-virus- (HCV-) related end-stage cirrhosis is the primary indication for liver transplantation in many countries. Unfortunately, however, HCV is not eliminated by transplantation and graft reinfection is universal, resulting in fibrosis, cirrhosis, and finally graft decompression. In areas with low deceased-donor organ availability like Japan, living-donor liver transplantation (LDLT) is similarly indicated for HCV cirrhosis as deceased-donor liver transplantation (DDLT) in Western countries and accepted as an established treatment for HCV-cirrhosis, and the results are equivalent to those of DDLT. To prevent graft failure due to recurrent hepatitis C, antiviral treatment with pegylated-interferon and ribavirin is currently considered the most promising regimen with a sustained viral response rate of around 30% to 35%, although the survival benefit of this regimen remains to be investigated. In contrast to DDLT, many Japanese LDLT centers have reported modified treatment regimens as best efforts to secure first graft, such as aggressive preemptive antiviral treatment, escalation of dosages, and elongation of treatment duration.

Hepatitis B and C in liver transplantation: new strategies to combat the enemies

Hepatitis B immune globulin-free therapeutic regimens with a nucleos(t)ide analogue (NUC) or NUC combinations after liver transplantation (LT) are currently being investigated for their efficacy and safety as HBV re-infection prophylaxis in clinical studies. Recurrence rates differ among these studies as most of them are limited by a non-randomised study design, small sample size, lack of long-term data and varying time intervals for the switch from combined to purely virostatic prophylaxis. Post-transplant pre-emptive antiviral therapy with pegylated IFN and ribavirin is associated with low sustained virological response rates and was found to have no advantage over treatment of manifest HCV re-infection. Safety and efficacy of triple antiviral therapy including boceprevir or telaprevir in patients with manifest HCV re-infection are currently under investigation in clinical trials. Relevant drug interactions have been shown to occur during calcineurin inhibitor (CNI) and concomitant triple antiviral therapy, which vary with type of CNI and choice of HCV protease inhibitor. Newer direct-acting antivirals with lower or minimal toxicity, when used in combination with immunosuppressives, are worthy of further study in LT patients. This review focuses on hot topics in the management of hepatitis B and C patients before and after LT and offers a critical summarised selection of the corresponding relevant studies published in the current literature or presented at recent liver congresses.

HCV in liver transplantation

HCV-related cirrhosis represents the leading indication for liver transplantation in the Western countries. HCV reinfection after liver transplantation occurs in virtually all patients transplanted for HCV-related liver disease Histological evidence of chronic HCV infection develops in 50 to 90 % of patients by 12 months after liver transplantation, and cirrhosis occurs in about 20 % of patients within 5 years after transplant. Several studies have evaluated host, viral, and transplant-related factors that might be associated with the severity of HCV recurrence. Among host factors, immunosuppression is one of the major factors that accounts for accelerated HCV recurrence and it has been an area of extensive research and controversy. Donor age, steatosis, and immunogenetic factors are also relevant in determining the outcome in patients transplanted for HCV-related cirrhosis. A major step to prevent complications of HCV recurrence related to the rapid fibrosis is the posttransplant antiviral treatment. Two strategies have been tried: pre-emptive or other strategies as soon as possible after liver transplantation or elective therapy once there is histological evidence of recurrent hepatitis C. Retransplantation due to graft failure from recurrent hepatitis C is rarely an option in the era of organ shortage as it is associated with poor outcome, but many case needs to be considered early in the evolution of disease. New antivirals may change the outcome dramatically of patients transplanted for HCV cirrhosis.

Liver transplantation and hepatitis C

Hepatitis-C-virus- (HCV-) related end-stage cirrhosis is the primary indication for liver transplantation in many countries. Unfortunately, however, HCV is not eliminated by transplantation and graft reinfection is universal, resulting in fibrosis, cirrhosis, and finally graft decompensation. The use of poor quality organs, particularly from older donors, has a highly negative impact on the severity of recurrence and patient/graft survival. Although immunosuppressive regimens have a considerable impact on the outcome, the optimal regimen after liver transplantation for HCV-infected patients remains unclear. Disease progression monitoring with protocol biopsy and new noninvasive methods is essential for predicting patient/graft outcome and starting antiviral treatment with the appropriate timing. Antiviral treatment with pegylated interferon and ribavirin is currently considered the most promising regimen with a sustained viral response rate of around 30% to 35%, although the survival benefit of this regimen remains to be investigated. Living-donor liver transplantation is now widely accepted as an established treatment for HCV cirrhosis and the results are equivalent to those of deceased donor liver transplantation.

Effects of a sustained virologic response on outcomes of patients with chronic hepatitis C

For patients with chronic hepatitis C virus infection, the goal of antiviral therapy is to achieve a sustained virologic response (SVR). We review the durability of the SVR and its effects on liver-related mortality, hepatic decompensation, and the development of hepatocellular carcinoma. We performed a systematic review of the effects of the SVR on liver-related hepatic outcomes and found the SVR to be durable (range, 98.4%-100%). An SVR reduced liver-related mortality among patients with chronic hepatitis C (3.3- to 25-fold), the incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma (1.7- to 4.2-fold), and hepatic decompensation (2.7- to 17.4-fold). An SVR can lead to regression of fibrosis and cirrhosis, and has been associated with a reduced rate of hepatic decompensation, a reduced risk for hepatocellular carcinoma, and reduced liver-related mortality.