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

Outcomes of liver resection in hepatitis C virus-related intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma: A systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Cholangiocarcinoma is the second most common primary liver malignancy. Its incidence and mortality rates have been increasing in recent years. Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a risk factor for development of cirrhosis and cholangiocarcinoma. Currently, surgical resection remains the only curative treatment option for cholangiocarcinoma. We aim to study the impact of HCV infection on outcomes of liver resection (LR) in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC).

AIM

To study the outcomes of curative resection of ICC in patients with HCV (i.e., HCV+) compared to patients without HCV (i.e., HCV-).

METHODS

We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and observational studies to assess the outcomes of LR in ICC in HCV+ patients compared to HCV- patients in tertiary care hospitals. PubMed, EMBASE, The Cochrane Library and Scopus were systematically searched from inception till August 2023. Included studies were RCTs and non-RCTs on patients ≥ 18 years old with a diagnosis of ICC who underwent LR, and compared outcomes between patients with HCV+ vs HCV-. The primary outcomes were overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival. Secondary outcomes include perioperative mortality, operation duration, blood loss, intrahepatic and extrahepatic recurrence.

RESULTS

Seven articles, published between 2004 and 2021, fulfilled the selection criteria. All of the studies were retrospective studies. Age, incidence of male patients, albumin, bilirubin, platelets, tumor size, incidence of multiple tumors, vascular invasion, bile duct invasion, lymph node metastases, and stage 4 disease were comparable between HCV+ and HCV- group. Alanine transaminase [MD 22.20, 95%confidence interval (CI): 13.75, 30.65, P < 0.00001] and aspartate transaminase levels (MD 27.27, 95%CI: 20.20, 34.34, P < 0.00001) were significantly higher in HCV+ group compared to HCV- group. Incidence of cirrhosis was significantly higher in HCV+ group [odds ratio (OR) 5.78, 95%CI: 1.38, 24.14, P = 0.02] compared to HCV- group. Incidence of poorly differentiated disease was significantly higher in HCV+ group (OR 2.55, 95%CI: 1.34, 4.82, P = 0.004) compared to HCV- group. Incidence of simultaneous hepatocellular carcinoma lesions was significantly higher in HCV+ group (OR 8.31, 95%CI: 2.36, 29.26, P = 0.001) compared to HCV- group. OS was significantly worse in the HCV+ group (hazard ratio 2.05, 95%CI: 1.46, 2.88, P < 0.0001) compared to HCV- group.

CONCLUSION

This meta-analysis demonstrated significantly worse OS in HCV+ patients with ICC who underwent curative resection compared to HCV- patients.

The Eradication of Carcinogenic Viruses in Established Solid Cancers

Carcinogenic viruses (oncoviruses) can initiate cancer, but their impact on established cancer varies. Some of these viruses prolong survival while others shorten it. This study classifies oncoviruses into two categories: viruses which induce a strong CD8+T cell reaction in non-cancerous tissues, and viruses which induce a weak CD8+ T cell reaction in non-cancerous tissues. The classification proves useful in predicting the effect of oncoviruses on the prognosis of solid cancers. Therefore, while eliminating carcinogenic viruses in healthy individuals (for example by immunization) may be important for cancer prevention, this study suggests that only viruses which induce a weak CD8+ T cell reaction should be eradicated in established solid tumors. The model correctly predicts the effect of oncoviruses on survival for six out of seven known oncoviruses, indicating that immune modulation by oncoviruses has a prominent effect on prognosis. It seems that CD8+ T cell response to oncoviruses observed in infected benign tissues is retained in infected tumors. Clinical significance: the effect of oncoviruses on solid cancer prognosis can be predicted with confidence based on immunological responses when clinical data are unavailable.

Prognostic Factors for Overall Survival in Patients with HCV-Related HCC Undergoing Molecular Targeted Therapies: Beyond a Sustained Virological Response

Background: The treatment of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) has reduced the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)-related mortality. Many patients with advanced HCC have achieved longer survival through systemic chemotherapy. However, survivors of HCC may develop liver cancer during and after treatment. Therefore, the present study investigated prognostic factors for survival in patients with HCV-related HCC in the new era of molecular targeted therapy. Methods: A total of 359 patients with HCV-related HCC treated with first-line chemotherapy were reviewed. A Cox proportional hazards model and Kaplan−Meier curve were used to identify prognostic factors associated with survival outcomes. Results: The median follow-up duration was 16.0 months (range, 1.0−115.7) and the median duration of first-line systemic therapy was 3.73 months (range, 0.7−86.9). The achievement of a sustained virological response (SVR) (p  <  0.001), albumin−bilirubin (ALBI) grade II/III (p  <  0.001), Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) stage C (p  =  0.005), extrahepatic spread (p < 0.001), baseline AFP (alpha-fetoprotein) level ≥ 90 (p = 0.038), baseline DCP (des-γ-carboxy prothrombin) level ≥ 500 (p < 0.001), and a fibrosis-4 (FIB-4) index ≥ 4 (p  =  0.003) were identified as prognostic factors for overall survival. Conclusions: The achievement of SVR was most strongly associated with overall survival. Other factors, such as the BCLC stage, extrahepatic spread, baseline tumor marker (AFP/DCP) levels, ALBI grade, and FIB-4 index need to be considered in the management of patients with HCV-related HCC.

Hepatitis C virus eradication ameliorates the prognosis of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma treated with sorafenib

The risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) occurrence following hepatitis C virus (HCV) eradication has been previously reported, but the impact of HCV eradication on advanced HCC patient survival remains unclear. Therefore, the present study aimed to evaluate the effect of HCV eradication on the survival outcome of patients with advanced HCC treated with sorafenib. One hundred and three HCV-related advanced HCC patients who were treated with sorafenib were enrolled in this study. Of these, 43 patients were administered antiviral therapy before sorafenib treatment (HCV eradication group), while 60 patients remained HCV-infected (HCV non-eradication group). We analysed the impact of HCV eradication on survival in advanced HCC treated with sorafenib. Median overall survival (OS) was significantly longer in the HCV eradication group than in the HCV non-eradication group (24.0 months vs. 14.1 months; p = 0.001). Although there was no significant difference in the albumin-bilirubin (ALBI) score at the start of treatment between the HCV eradication group and the non-eradication group (p = 0.065), the ALBI score at 2 months after initiation of sorafenib treatment was significantly decreased in the HCV non-eradication group (p < 0.001), but not in the HCV eradication group (p = 0.121). Multivariate logistic analysis revealed HCV eradication (hazard ratio [HR], 0.5; p = 0.006) and ALBI score at the start of treatment (HR, 2.47; p = 0.002) as factors that may contribute to OS. HCV eradication may serve an important role in the survival outcome of advanced HCC patients treated with sorafenib.

Hepatitis C virus cure before hepatocellular carcinoma diagnosis is associated with improved survival

The impact of hepatitis C virus (HCV) cure on survival in patients with HCV-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has been examined, although many studies have been subject to survivor treatment selection bias. We assessed the impact of HCV cure before HCC diagnosis on overall survival. Patients with HCV-related HCC at three referral hospitals in Australia were included retrospectively (January 2008 to December 2019). The risk of death following HCC diagnosis among patients who achieved HCV cure before HCC diagnosis was compared to patients who were viraemic at diagnosis. Among 422 patients with HCV-related HCC, 101 (24%) achieved HCV cure before HCC diagnosis, 37 with interferon (IFN) and 64 with direct-acting antiviral (DAA) therapy. Patients with HCV cure were more likely to have no cirrhosis or Child-Pugh A liver disease (83% vs. 66%, p = .002), surveillance detection (71% vs. 48%, p < .001), HCC stage O or A (64% vs. 45%, p < .001) and receive curative initial HCC management (51% vs. 28%, p < .001), compared with patients who were viraemic at diagnosis. The 5-year overall survival was 51% in the HCV cure group and 22% in the viraemic group. In adjusted analysis, risk of death was lower in patients with HCV cure before HCC diagnosis compared with patients who were viraemic at diagnosis (adjusted hazard ratio: 0.63; 95% CI: 0.44-0.91; p = .013). Patients with HCV-related HCC who have achieved HCV cure before HCC diagnosis have improved overall survival compared with patients who were viraemic at diagnosis.

Hepatocellular Carcinoma-The Influence of Immunoanatomy and the Role of Immunotherapy

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a leading cause of cancer-related morbidity and mortality worldwide. Most patients are diagnosed with advanced disease, limiting their options for treatment. While current treatments are adequate for lower staged disease, available systemic treatments are limited, with marginal benefit at best. Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy, effective in treating liquid tumors such as B-cell lymphoma, presents a potentially promising treatment option for advanced HCC. However, new challenges specific to solid tumors, such as tumor immunoanatomy or the immune cell presence and position anatomically and the tumor microenvironment, need to be defined and overcome. Immunotherapy currently in use must be re-engineered and re-envisioned to treat HCC with the hopes of ushering in an answer to advanced stage solid tumor disease processes. Future therapy options must address the uniqueness of the tumors under the umbrella of HCC. This review strives to summarize HCC, its staging system, current therapy and immunotherapy medications currently being utilized or studied in the treatment of HCC with the hopes of highlighting what is being done and suggesting what needs to be done in the future to champion this therapy as an effective option.