Two independent studies show that treating hepatitis B early with
antiviral drugs can reduce the risk of developing liver disease.
AsianScientist (Jul 4, 2014) – One of the most severe
complications of hepatitis B is the development of liver cancer, which
is responsible for approximately 745,000 deaths worldwide each year. Two
new studies published in the journal Gastroenterology provide
strong evidence that antiviral therapy can reduce the risk of liver
cancer in patients with chronic hepatitis B infection.
In the first paper, researchers from National Yang-Ming University in
Taiwan showed that the licensed oral antiviral agent nucleos(t)ide
(NUC) resulted in a reduced long-term risk for liver cancer in a large,
nationwide cohort of chronic hepatitis B patients. This retrospective
study analyzed the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma, the most common
form of liver cancer, in patients treated with several different agents.
The NUC-treated cohort had a significantly lower seven-year incidence
of liver cancer compared with controls. Overall, the effect of the
treatment on reduced risk for cancer was stronger in young patients
without cirrhosis and in patients without diabetes.
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Labels: antivirals and HCC, benefits of antivirals, disease progression, tenofovir