Key clinical point: Antiviral therapy (AVT)-mediated reduction in liver inflammation and fibrosis is associated with improvement in the long-term outcomes of patients who have undergone hepatectomy for hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).
Main finding: AVT vs. non-AVT patients exhibited significantly higher 5-year recurrence-free survival (RFS) rates (19.1% vs. 5.8%; P = .001) and overall survival (OS) rates (64.0% vs. 43.2%; P < .001). Improvements in liver inflammation and fibrosis were independently associated with better RFS (both P < .001) and OS ( P = .013 and P < .001, respectively).
Study details: The study matched 103 adult patients who received AVT after having undergone hepatectomy for HBV- related HCC to an equal number of those who did not receive posthepatectomy AVT.
Disclosures: The study was sponsored by the National Natural Science Foundation of China and Foundation of Zhongshan Hospital. The authors did not declare any conflicts of interest.
Source: Guan R-Y et al. Am J Surg. 2022 (Jan 25). Doi: 10.1016/j.amjsurg.2022.01.008.