Early occurrence and recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma in HCV-related cirrhosis treated with direct-acting antivirals

none 12 no Background & Aims Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) represents a serious complication of HCV-related cirrhosis. New direct-acting antivirals (DAA) cure HCV infection in over 90% of patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the early occurrence and recurrence of HCC in cirrhotic patients treated with DAA. Methods We analysed 344 consecutive cirrhotic patients, without HCC, who were treated with DAA, and followed for 24 weeks. Fifty-nine patients had previous HCC. Results DAA therapy induced sustained virological response in 91% of patients. During 24-week follow-up, HCC was detected in 26 patients (7.6%, 95% CI: 4.99–10.84): 17 of 59 patients (28.81%, 95% CI: 17.76–42.07) with previous HCC and 9 of 285 patients (3.16%, 95% CI: 1.45–5.90) without previous HCC. Child-Pugh Class B, more severe liver fibrosis, lower platelet count, and previous HCC were significantly associated with HCC development, at univariate analysis. At multivariate analysis, Child-Pugh class (p = 0.03, OR: 4.18, 95% CI: 1.17–14.8) and history of HCC (p