Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT: Background & aims
Antiviral treatment is known to improve survival in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB)-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Yet, the treatment uptake in CHB patients remains low. We aimed to report the secular trend in antiviral treatment uptake from 2007-2017, and to compare the effect of different nucleos(t)ide analogue (NA) initiation times (before vs. after HCC diagnosis) on survival.Methods
A 3-month landmark analysis was used to compare overall survival in patients not receiving NA treatment (i.e. no NA), patients receiving NAs after their first HCC treatment (i.e. post-HCC NA), and patients receiving NAs ≤3 months before their first HCC treatment (i.e. pre-HCC NA). A propensity score-weighted Cox proportional hazards model was used to balance clinical characteristics between the 3 groups and to estimate hazard ratios (HRs).Results
The uptake of antiviral treatment in HCC patients increased from 47.3% in 2007 to 98.3% in 2017. The pre-HCC NA group contributed mostly to the uptake rate, which increased from 72.7% to 96.0% in the past decade. In addition, 3,843 CHB patients (407 no NA; 2,932 pre-HCC NA; 504 post-HCC NA) with HCC, receiving at least 1 type of HCC treatment, were included in the analysis. Lack of NA treatment at the time of HCC diagnosis increased the risk of death (weighted HR 3.05; 95% CI 2.70-3.44; p <0.001). The impact of the timing of NA treatment was insignificant (weighted HR 0.90; 95% CI 0.78-1.04; p = 0.161).Conclusions
The uptake of antiviral treatment in HCC patients increased over the past decade. NA treatment, regardless of whether it was initiated before or after HCC diagnosis, improved survival. It is never too late to initiate NA treatment, even after HCC diagnosis.Lay summary
More and more patients who have hepatitis B-related liver cancer received antiviral treatment over the past decade. The timing of starting antiviral treatment, regardless of whether it was before or after liver cancer happens, does not really matter in terms of survival benefits.
SUBMITTER: Hui VW
PROVIDER: S-EPMC7530304 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Dec
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Hui Vicki Wing-Ki VW Chan Stephen Lam SL Wong Vincent Wai-Sun VW Liang Lilian Yan LY Yip Terry Cheuk-Fung TC Lai Jimmy Che-To JC Yuen Becky Wing-Yan BW Luk Hester Wing-Sum HW Tse Yee-Kit YK Lee Hye-Won HW Chan Henry Lik-Yuen HL Wong Grace Lai-Hung GL
JHEP reports : innovation in hepatology 20200730 6
<h4>Background & aims</h4>Antiviral treatment is known to improve survival in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB)-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Yet, the treatment uptake in CHB patients remains low. We aimed to report the secular trend in antiviral treatment uptake from 2007-2017, and to compare the effect of different nucleos(t)ide analogue (NA) initiation times (before <i>vs.</i> after HCC diagnosis) on survival.<h4>Methods</h4>A 3-month landmark analysis was used to compare over ...[more]