Hepatitis C News

Adherence to nurse-led screening programs may be a helpful tool in reducing the risk for liver cancer in patients who have shown sustained virological response after hepatitis C, according to a presenter at UEG Week Virtual.

This month’s cover story highlights the growing burden of hepatocellular carcinoma, the most common type of primary liver cancer, in the United States. Despite being a cancer that does not typically receive much attention, HCC is projected to become the third leading cause of cancer-related death in the United States by 2040 if current trends continue. Its increasing mortality is related to a growing number of cases in the setting of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, the liver manifestation of the metabolic syndrome, and a high proportion of HCC cases being detected at a late stage. While patients detected at an early stage are amenable to curative therapies such as liver transplantation and have a median survival exceeding 5 years, those diagnosed at a late stage traditionally have had limited therapeutic options and a median survival of only 1 year.

Liver cancer — the fastest-growing cause of cancer death in the U.S. — has been notoriously difficult to treat.

Assessing hepatitis D virus patients for viremia, as well as expanded screening for HDV antibodies in hepatitis B virus patients, may help further identify active HDV cases, according to a presentation at UEG Week Virtual.

Because of pandemic-related disruptions in hepatitis C care, researchers said thousands of cases will remain unidentified with fewer patients initiating care and achieving SVR.

WHO released the first-ever global guidance for countries seeking validated hepatitis B virus and hepatitis C virus elimination.

Healio Gastroenterology presents the following report on the top 10 peer-tested stories in July.

The CDC announced achievement in controlling the hepatitis B virus and detailed the next steps for continued progress among underperforming countries’ immunization programs impacted by COVID-19 in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

The fibrosis-4 index may be a useful screening method for hepatocellular carcinoma among patients with non-hepatitis B and non-hepatitis C virus, according to research published in BMC Gastroenterology.

Chronic hepatitis B virus, whether current or past, was not associated with increased incidence of acute liver injury or death among patients with COVID-19, according to research presented at the International Liver Congress.