Key clinical point: Spleen stiffness, a measure of portal hypertension, was a risk factor for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) among patients with advanced liver disease whose chronic hepatitis C virus infection (HCV) was successfully treated with direct-acting antivirals (DAA).
Major finding: The incidence of HCC was 14% over a median of 41.5 months of follow-up. Six months after successful DAA treatment, spleen stiffness greater than 42 kPa was associated with a small but statistically significant increase in risk for HCC (hazard ratio, 1.025). Among patients whose liver stiffness exceeded 10 kPa, increased spleen stiffness was a risk factor for HCC, but any additional increase in liver stiffness (10-20 kPa vs >20 kPa) was not.
Study details: This was a single-center retrospective study of 140 patients with advanced chronic liver disease whose HCV was successfully treated with DAA. Liver and spleen stiffness were measured at baseline and 6 months after end of treatment.
Disclosures: The researchers reported receiving no funding for the study and stated that they had no conflicts of interest.
Source: Dajti E et al. JHEP Rep. 2021 Apr 14. doi: 10.1016/j.jhepr.2021.100289