Direct-Acting Antivirals Still Underused in Hep C-Related Liver Cancer

Follow Drugslib on

Medically reviewed by Drugs.com.

By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter

TUESDAY, Nov. 21, 2023 -- Direct-acting antiviral agents (DAAs) remain underutilized in patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV)-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), according to a study presented at The Liver Meeting, the annual meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, held from Nov. 10 to 14 in Boston.

Leslie Yeeman Kam, M.D., from the Stanford University Medical Center in California, and colleagues assessed the proportion of patients with HCV-related HCC who received DAAs after 2014, as well as factors associated with treatment receipt. The analysis included 3,922 patients with HCV-related HCC identified from Optum's Clinformatics Data Mart Database (2015 to 2021).

The researchers found that 23.5 percent of patients received DAAs. Higher odds of receiving DAA treatment were seen for younger individuals (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 0.98), those being seen by a gastroenterologist or infectious disease (with or without oncology) physician (aHR, 3.06), and those with cirrhosis (aHRs, 1.60 and 1.45 for compensated and decompensated, respectively). No differences were seen by sex or race/ethnicity. Five-year survival was significantly higher in DAA-treated patients versus untreated patients (47.2 versus 35.2 percent). The Charlson Comorbidity Index, HCC treatment, and receiving DAA treatment remained significantly associated with lower mortality (aHR, 0.61) when adjusting for age, sex, and race and ethnicity.

"Although those who received DAA treatment had a significantly better five-year survival, DAA treatment remains underutilized even in the sickest of patients with HCV who are insured, as less than one in four patients were treated," the authors write.

Abstract

More Information

Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

Source: HealthDay

Posted : 2023-11-22 02:51

Read more

Disclaimer

Every effort has been made to ensure that the information provided by Drugslib.com is accurate, up-to-date, and complete, but no guarantee is made to that effect. Drug information contained herein may be time sensitive. Drugslib.com information has been compiled for use by healthcare practitioners and consumers in the United States and therefore Drugslib.com does not warrant that uses outside of the United States are appropriate, unless specifically indicated otherwise. Drugslib.com's drug information does not endorse drugs, diagnose patients or recommend therapy. Drugslib.com's drug information is an informational resource designed to assist licensed healthcare practitioners in caring for their patients and/or to serve consumers viewing this service as a supplement to, and not a substitute for, the expertise, skill, knowledge and judgment of healthcare practitioners.

The absence of a warning for a given drug or drug combination in no way should be construed to indicate that the drug or drug combination is safe, effective or appropriate for any given patient. Drugslib.com does not assume any responsibility for any aspect of healthcare administered with the aid of information Drugslib.com provides. The information contained herein is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. If you have questions about the drugs you are taking, check with your doctor, nurse or pharmacist.

Popular Keywords