Delisting and clinical outcomes of liver transplant candidates after hepatitis C virus eradication: A long-term single-center experience

Abstract

BackgroundPrevious short-term studies have reported on liver function improvements and delisting among liver transplantation (LT) candidates with hepatitis C virus (HCV) and decompensated liver cirrhosis after successful antiviral therapy. This study aimed to evaluate the long–term impact of HCV eradication on liver function, portal hypertension, probability of delisting, and clinical outcomes in patients awaiting LT. MethodsForty-five LT candidates with decompensated HCV cirrhosis were prospectively observed after HCV eradication by direct-acting antiviral therapy. The median follow-up (FU) time was 24 months. ResultsTwenty-six (57.8%) patients were delisted due to clinical improvement. Multivariate analysis revealed male gender (hazard ratio (HR) 3.28; p = 0.022), baseline Child – Turcotte – Pugh class C (HR 4.81; p = 0.003), and delta prothrombin index <2% between baseline and the time of sustained virological response (HR 3.82; p = 0.01) as independent risk factors for non-delisting. During a median FU of 21 months after delisting, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) developed in 2 (7.7%) patients. Among non-delisted patients, HCC developed in 6 (31.6%) cases, variceal bleeding developed in 3 (15.8%) patients, and spontaneous bacterial peritonitis developed in 2 (10.5%) patients. ConclusionHCV eradication lead to the delisting of more than 50% of patients, but did not eliminate the HCC risk, and close monitoring of patients should continue after the end of treatment.