Impact of CD4+ T-cell count on sustained virologic response to direct-acting antivirals in hepatitis C virus monoinfected cancer patients: a prospective observational study

Limited data are available on the use of CD4+ T-cell count and percentage to predict response to direct-acting antiviral (DAA) treatment outside the hepatitis C virus (HCV)-HIV coinfected population. We sought to determine the impact of CD4+ T-cell count and percentage on response to DAAs in cancer patients with HCV monoinfection. Patients treated with DAAs were enrolled in a prospective observational study. CD4+ T-cell count and percentage was measured at baseline, end of treatment (EOT), and 12 weeks after the EOT (SVR12). A total of 174 patients were enrolled. Most patients (155/174, 89%) achieved an SVR12. A multivariate logistic regression model found that patients with hepatocellular carcinoma, HCV-3 and previous DAA treatment were more likely to develop treatment failure. Neither univariate analysis nor multivariate logistic regression analysis did show any association between CD4+ T-cell count or percentage and SVR12. CD4 T-cell count or percentage does not appear to impact SVR rates in cancer patients with HCV monoinfection receiving DAAs.