Patient preference and willingness to pay for transient elastography versus liver biopsy: A perspective from British Columbia.

Background: The cost of liver biopsy (LB) is publicly funded in British Columbia, while the cost of transient elastography (FibroScan [FS], Echosens, France) is not. Consequently, there is regional variation regarding FS access and monitoring of liver disease progression.

Objective: To evaluate patient preference for FS versus LB and to assess the willingness to self-pay for FS.

The effect of doxorubicin loading on response and toxicity with drug-eluting embolization in resectable hepatoma: a dose escalation study.

Aim: The dose-response relationship between doxorubicin and superabsorbent drug-eluting microspheres has not been established. In this study, we investigated the relationships between dose and delivery parameters as they pertain to toxicity and response in surgically resectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Patients And Methods: Twenty-five patients with resectable HCC were randomly assigned and divided into four groups, each receiving either bland, 25 mg, 50 mg or 75 mg of doxorubicin loaded Super Absorbent Polymer microspheres, with 24 patients undergoing surgical resection.

Review of boceprevir and telaprevir for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C.

Objective: To summarize and evaluate the published literature pertaining to boceprevir and telaprevir, and to provide clinicians with suggestions for use in patients with chronic hepatitis C infection.

Methods: A standardized search strategy was performed using the MEDLINE, EMBASE, Google Scholar and International Pharmaceuticals Abstracts databases using the search terms "boceprevir", "telaprevir", "boceprevir and hepatitis C", and "telaprevir and hepatitis C". A manual search of references was performed to identify articles missed by the electronic search.

A review of drug interactions with boceprevir and telaprevir: implications for HIV and transplant patients.

Purpose: Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a major problem affecting up to 170 million people worldwide. Two protease inhibitors have recently been approved that will revolutionize treatment. Our objective was to summarize and evaluate the literature pertaining to the pharmacokinetics of boceprevir and telaprevir, in order to provide clinicians with insight into the management of actual and potential drug interactions.

Iron overload disorders: treatment options for patients refractory to or intolerant of phlebotomy.

Iron overload disorders involve excess accumulation of iron in body tissues as a result of hereditary and nonhereditary diseases. If left untreated, tissue iron deposition can result in organ damage. Treatment options such as phlebotomy, chelating agents, and erythrocytapheresis can prevent complications and target organ damage.

Use of hematopoietic growth factors as adjuvant therapy for anemia and neutropenia in the treatment of hepatitis C.

Objective: To review the hematologic adverse effects of hepatitis C virus (HCV) therapy and adjuvant treatment with epoetin alfa and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (ie, filgrastim).

Data Sources: Medical literature indexed in MEDLINE (1966-January 2007) and EMBASE (1980-January 2007) was searched, and published conference abstracts were reviewed.

Study Selection And Data Extraction: Peer-reviewed articles and relevant conference abstracts regarding the use of epoetin alfa and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor were reviewed.

Acute sensorineural hearing loss associated with peginterferon and ribavirin combination therapy during hepatitis C treatment: outcome after resumption of therapy.

Peginterferon and ribavirin combination therapy for the treatment of hepatitis C virus (HCV) is well known to be associated with significant adverse effects. Sensorineural hearing loss, that in most cases is unilateral, has been reported as a consequence of therapy with both non-pegylated and pegylated interferon (pegIFN) but is not a well-known adverse effect. We report a 45-year-old Caucasian woman who developed acute sensorineural hearing loss 2 mo after starting therapy with pegIFN-alpha 2b and ribavirin for the treatment of chronic HCV, genotype 1a.