DIRECT-ACTING ANTIVIRALS FOR HEPATITIS C DO NOT AFFECT THE RISK OF DEVELOPMENT OR THE OUTCOME OF HEPATOCELLULAR CARCINOMA.

HCV infection and its complications, especially hepatocellular carcinoma, is a substantial public health burden. In 2015 "Nationwide hepatitis C elimination program" was launched in Georgia. According to the protocol, patients with HCC also receive DAA antiviral treatment. We study the effect of the different DAA therapy regiments on the incidence or recurrence of HCC and its prognosis. Overall, 408 patients were recruited in Georgian-French Joint Hepatology Clinic HEPA between April 2015-March 2016. The selection criteria were as follows: 1 - age 50-65 years; 2. Liver fibrosis level F3-F4 or cirrhosis at least 15 years of disease history; 3. HCV positive diagnosed by PCR method, whatever the level of viral load and genotype; 4. absence of previous complications of cirrhosis (ascites, gastrointestinal bleeding or HCC; 5. Child-Pugh class A or B; and 6. absence of severe extrahepatic disease. Essential clinical and biological parameters were recorded. Clinical monitoring and management of adverse events were performed on a regular base. HCV All patients included in the study received anti-HCV treatment with direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) within the national hepatitis C elimination program in accordance with national protocols. During April 2015-March 2016 treatment was provided with sofosbuvir (SOF) in combination with ribavirin (RBV), with or without pegylated interferon (IFN). Since March 2016, ledipasvir/sofosbuvir (LDV/SOF) was prescribed to all patients with or without RBV depending on the HCV genotype, level of fibrosis, and previous treatment experience. In conclusion, we find that neither different DAA regimens nor different treatment duration affects HCC risk after antiviral treatment. Moreover, there are no significant changes in mortality rate due to HCC in these groups. Therefore, it can be concluded, that HCC status is not a contraindication for DAA treatment, especially at the early stages of cancer, when a tumor is curative.