Direct-acting antivirals have proved to be highly efficacious and safe in monoinfected liver transplant (LT) recipients who experience recurrence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. However, there is a lack of data on effectiveness and tolerability of these regimens in HCV/HIV-coinfected patients who experience recurrence of HCV infection after LT. In this prospective, multicenter cohort study, the outcomes of 47 HCV/HIV-coinfected LT patients who received DAA therapy (with or without ribavirin [RBV]) were compared with those of a matched cohort of 148 HCV-monoinfected LT recipients who received similar treatment. Baseline characteristics were similar in both groups. HCV/HIV-coinfected patients had a median (IQR) CD4 T-cell count of 366 (256-467) cells/µL. HIV-RNA was <50 copies/mL in 96% of patients. The DAA regimens administered were SOF + LDV ± RBV (34%), SOF + SMV ± RBV (31%), SOF + DCV ± RBV (27%), SMV + DCV ± RBV (5%), and 3D (3%), with no differences between the groups. Treatment was well tolerated in both groups. Rates of SVR (negative serum HCV-RNA at 12 weeks after the end of treatment) were high and similar for coinfected and monoinfected patients (95% and 94%, respectively; P = .239). Albeit not significant, a trend toward lower SVR rates among patients with advanced fibrosis (P = .093) and genotype 4 (P = .088) was observed. In conclusion, interferon-free regimens with DAAs for post-LT recurrence of HCV infection in HIV-infected individuals were highly effective and well tolerated, with results comparable to those of HCV-monoinfected patients.
The presence of anti-HBs as a result of HBV vaccine or past HBV infection seems to be effective at protecting patients receiving livers from anti-HBc positive donors. However, the emergence of immune escape HBV mutants, which can evade the anti-HBs protection, should be considered as a risk of HBV infection.
Uptake of DAA therapy among HIV/HCV-coinfected patients increased considerably in Western Europe between 2014 and 2016, but was modest in Central East and East. In all regions more than 50% with at least F3 fibrosis remained untreated. Women were less likely to start DAA.
The impact of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection on patients undergoing liver transplantation (LT) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is uncertain. This study aimed to assess the outcome of a prospective Spanish nationwide cohort of HIV-infected patients undergoing LT for HCC (2002)(2003)(2004)(2005)(2006)(2007)(2008)(2009)(2010)(2011)(2012)(2013)(2014). These patients were matched (age, gender, year of LT, center, and hepatitis C virus (HCV) or hepatitis B virus infection) with non-HIV-infected controls (1:3 ratio). Patients with incidental HCC were excluded. Seventy-four HIV-infected patients and 222 non-HIV-infected patients were included. All patients had cirrhosis, mostly due to HCV infection (92%). HIV-infected patients were younger (47 versus 51 years) and had undetectable HCV RNA at LT (19% versus 9%) more frequently than non-HIV-infected patients. No significant differences were detected between HIV-infected and non-HIV-infected recipients in the radiological characteristics of HCC at enlisting or in the histopathological findings for HCC in the explanted liver. Survival at 1, 3, and 5 years for HIV-infected versus non-HIV-infected patients was 88% versus 90%, 78% versus 78%, and 67% versus 73% (P 5 0.779), respectively. HCV infection (hazard ratio 5 7.90, 95% confidence interval 1.07-56.82) and maximum nodule diameter >3 cm in the explanted liver (hazard ratio 5 1.72, 95% confidence interval 1.02-2.89) were independently associated with mortality in the whole series. HCC recurred in 12 HIV-infected patients (16%) and 32 non-HIVinfected patients (14%), with a probability of 4% versus 5% at 1 year, 18% versus 12% at 3 years, and 20% versus 19% at 5 years (P 5 0.904). Microscopic vascular invasion (hazard ratio 5 3.40, 95% confidence interval 1.34-8.64) was the only factor independently associated with HCC recurrence. Conclusions: HIV infection had no impact on recurrence of HCC or survival after LT. Our results support the indication of LT in HIV-infected patients with HCC. (HEPATOLOGY 2016;63:488-498)
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