Background/Aims The survival benefit of direct-acting antiviral (DAA) therapy for hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), particularly in Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) stages B/C, remains largely uncertain. We aimed to explore the impact of DAA therapy on overall survival (OS) in HCC patients using a nationwide cohort study.
Methods We utilized the nationwide Taiwan Association for the Study of the Liver (TASL) HCV Registry (TACR) database to include all adults receiving a DAA therapy for HCV, excluding those with other viral infections, liver transplantation, non-HCC malignancies, and terminal-staged HCC. We respectively analyzed the adjusted odds ratio (aOR) for sustained virological response (SVR) and adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) for OS.
Result s: Between December 2013 and December 2020, 2,205 (9.3%) patients with HCC and 21,569 (90.7%) patients without HCC were include. The SVR rates were 96.6% in the HCC group and 98.8% in the non-HCC group (P<0.001), with HCC being an independent risk factor affecting SVR (aOR 0.41; 95% CI 0.31–0.54; P<0.001). In the whole patient cohort, SVR was independently associated with improved OS (aHR 0.46; 95% CI 0.35–0.60; P<0.001). Among patients with baseline HCC, SVR remained an independent factor related to OS (aHR 0.41; 95% CI 0.28–0.59; P<0.001). The impact of SVR on OS persisted significantly across BCLC stages 0/A and stages B/C.
Conclusions High SVR rates among HCC patients underscore the importance of DAA therapy in enhancing OS, reaffirming its efficacy across various HCC stages.
Citations
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Revisiting unmet needs in clinical research on direct-acting antiviral therapy for HCC patients: Correspondence to letter to the editor on “Direct-acting antiviral therapy for patients with HCV-related hepatocellular carcinoma: A nationwide cohort study” Teng-Yu Lee, Pei-Chien Tsai, Shou-Wu Lee, Ming- Lung Yu Clinical and Molecular Hepatology.2026; 32(1): e99. CrossRef
Emerging evidence supports direct-acting antiviral therapy for HCC patients beyond the early stage: Correspondence to editorial on “Direct-acting antiviral therapy for patients with HCV-related hepatocellular carcinoma: A nationwide cohort study” Teng-Yu Lee, Pei-Chien Tsai, Shou-Wu Lee, Ming-Lung Yu Clinical and Molecular Hepatology.2026; 32(1): e68. CrossRef
Survival impact of hepatitis C virus eradication in patients with or without active hepatocellular carcinoma: A nationwide cohort study Teng-Yu Lee, Sheng-Shun Yang, Pei-Chien Tsai, Chung-Feng Huang, Chi-Yi Chen, Chao-Hung Hung, Chien-Hung Chen, Chi-Ming Tai, Pin-Nan Cheng, Hsing-Tao Kuo, Kuo-Chih Tseng, Lein-Ray Mo, Ching-Chu Lo, Yi-Hsiang Huang, Han-Chieh Lin, Pei-Lun Lee, Ming-Jong Bai European Journal of Cancer.2026; 232: 116109. CrossRef
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Setting the Record Straight: Utility and Outcomes in Patients With HCV Related HCC María Fernanda Guerra‐Veloz, Sital Shah, Beatrice Emmanouil, Mia Olsen, Renita George, Sarah Selemani, Paul J. Ross, Ivana Carey, Neha Mehta, Mark Gillyon‐Powell, Kosh Agarwal Journal of Viral Hepatitis.2026;[Epub] CrossRef
HIV, Viral Hepatitis, and Schistosomiasis Association with Liver Cancer: A Systematic Review Khumbuzile Canham, Pragalathan Naidoo, Sibusiso Senzani, Sayed Shakeel Kader, Zilungile L. Mkhize-Kwitshana Microorganisms.2025; 13(12): 2753. CrossRef
Tung-Hung Su, Sheng-Shun Yang, Mei-Hsuan Lee, Wei-Yu Kao, Shang-Chin Huang, Fen-Fang Chen, Francis SK Poon, Lung-Wen Tsai, Yi-Ting Chen, Che Lin, Weichung Wang, W Ray Kim, Jia-Horng Kao
Clin Mol Hepatol 2025;31(3):796-809. Published online January 6, 2025
Background/Aims There are no hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) surveillance recommendations for non-viral chronic liver diseases (CLD), such as metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). We explored the Steatosis-Associated Fibrosis Estimator (SAFE) score to predict HCC in MASLD and other CLD etiologies.
Methods Patients with various CLDs were included from medical centers in Taiwan. The SAFE score, consisting of age, body mass index, diabetes, and laboratory data, was calculated at baseline, and patients were traced for new development of HCC. The predictability of the SAFE score for HCC was analyzed using the sub-distribution hazard model with adjustments for competing risks.
Result s: Among 12,963 CLD patients with a median follow-up of 4 years, 258 developed HCC. The SAFE score classifies 1-, 3-, and 5-year HCC risk regardless of CLD etiologies. High (≥100) and intermediate (0–100) SAFE scores increased 11 and 2 folds HCC risks compared to low (<0) SAFE scores. Combining two lower risk tiers (SAFE<100), a high SAFE score (≥100) was associated with a 7.5-fold risk of HCC (adjusted sub-distributional hazard ratio [aSHR] 7.54; 95% confidence interval (CI) 5.38–10.60). A high SAFE score increased the risks of HCC in subgroups of viral hepatitis, non-viral hepatitis (aSHR 11.10; 95% CI 3.97–31.30) and MASLD (aSHR 4.23; 95% CI 1.43–12.50). A hospital cohort (n=8,103) and a community MASLD cohort (n=120,166) validated the high SAFE score (≥100) for HCC risk prediction.
Conclusions The SAFE score stratifies high risks for HCC in CLD patients regardless of etiologies and helps to select at-risk candidates for HCC surveillance.
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HCC predictors in routine practice for patients with chronic liver diseases: Correspondence to editorial on “High SAFE scores predict hepatocellular carcinoma in viral and non-viral hepatitis and metabolic dysfunction associated steatotic liver disease” Tung-Hung Su, Jia-Horng Kao Clinical and Molecular Hepatology.2026; 32(1): e52. CrossRef
Can SAFE score be utilized as a universal hepatocellular carcinoma prediction score?: Editorial on “High Steatosis-Associated Fibrosis Estimator scores predict hepatocellular carcinoma in viral and non-viral hepatitis and metabolic dysfunction-associated Michael Kwan-Lung Ko, Loey Lung-Yi Mak Clinical and Molecular Hepatology.2026; 32(1): 371. CrossRef
Risk stratification for hepatocellular carcinoma in metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease: Editorial on “High Steatosis-Associated Fibrosis Estimator scores predict hepatocellular carcinoma in viral and non-viral hepatitis and metabolic Ho Soo Chun, Minjong Lee Clinical and Molecular Hepatology.2026; 32(1): 368. CrossRef
Background/Aims Four-week treatment of linvencorvir (RO7049389) was generally safe and well tolerated, and showed anti-viral activity in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients. This study evaluated the efficacy, safety, and pharmacokinetics of 48-week treatment with linvencorvir plus standard of care (SoC) in CHB patients.
Methods This was a multicentre, non-randomized, non-controlled, open-label phase 2 study enrolling three cohorts: nucleos(t)ide analogue (NUC)-suppressed patients received linvencorvir plus NUC (Cohort A, n=32); treatment-naïve patients received linvencorvir plus NUC without (Cohort B, n=10) or with (Cohort C, n=30) pegylated interferon-α (Peg-IFN-α). Treatment duration was 48 weeks, followed by NUC alone for 24 weeks.
Result s: 68 patients completed the study. No patient achieved functional cure (sustained HBsAg loss and unquantifiable HBV DNA). By Week 48, 89% of treatment-naïve patients (10/10 Cohort B; 24/28 Cohort C) reached unquantifiable HBV DNA. Unquantifiable HBV RNA was achieved in 92% of patients with quantifiable baseline HBV RNA (14/15 Cohort A, 8/8 Cohort B, 22/25 Cohort C) at Week 48 along with partially sustained HBV RNA responses in treatment-naïve patients during follow-up period. Pronounced reductions in HBeAg and HBcrAg were observed in treatment-naïve patients, while HBsAg decline was only observed in Cohort C. Most adverse events were grade 1–2, and no linvencorvir-related serious adverse events were reported.
Conclusions 48-week linvencorvir plus SoC was generally safe and well tolerated, and resulted in potent HBV DNA and RNA suppression. However, 48-week linvencorvir plus NUC with or without Peg-IFN did not result in the achievement of functional cure in any patient.
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Background/Aims Real-world studies assessing the effectiveness and safety of sofosbuvir/velpatasvir (SOF/VEL) plus ribavirin (RBV) for Child-Pugh B/C hepatitis C virus (HCV)-related cirrhosis are limited.
Methods We included 107 patients with Child-Pugh B/C HCV-related cirrhosis receiving SOF/VEL plus RBV for 12 weeks in Taiwan. The sustained virologic response rates at off-treatment week 12 (SVR12) for the evaluable population (EP), modified EP, and per-protocol population (PP) were assessed. Thesafety profiles were reported.
Result s: The SVR12 rates in the EP, modified EP and PP were 89.7% (95% confidence interval [CI], 82.5–94.2%), 94.1% (95% CI, 87.8–97.3%), and 100% (95% CI, 96.2–100%). Number of patients who failed to achieve SVR12 were attributed to virologic failures. The SVR12 rates were comparable regardless of patient characteristics. One patient discontinued treatment because of adverse events (AEs). Twenty-four patients had serious AEs and six died, but none were related to SOF/VEL or RBV. Among the 96 patients achieving SVR12, 84.4% and 64.6% had improved Child-Pugh and model for endstage liver disease (MELD) scores. Multivariate analysis revealed that a baseline MELD score ≥15 was associated with an improved MELD score of ≥3 (odds ratio, 4.13; 95% CI, 1.16–14.71; P=0.02). Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) stage 1 had more significant estimated glomerular filtration rate declines than patients with CKD stage 2 (-0.42 mL/min/1.73 m2/month; P=0.01) or stage 3 (-0.56 mL/min/1.73 m2/month; P<0.001).
Conclusions SOF/VEL plus RBV for 12 weeks is efficacious and well-tolerated for Child-Pugh B/C HCV-related cirrhosis.
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