Patients with hepatitis B virus infection treated with entecavir monotherapy remained at risk for developing hepatocellular carcinoma, according to study results.
Patients treated with entecavir (ETV; n=744) were recruited from 11 European centers in the Vigilance against Viral Resistance network. All patients had been positive for hepatitis B virus (HBV) for at least 6 months and had been treated with ETV for at least 3 months between 2005 and May 2013. The majority of patients were Caucasian (42%) and Asian (29%).
“We showed that continuous ETV therapy effectively suppresses HBV DNA in
the vast majority of patients,” the researchers wrote. “While the risk
of HCC in ETV-treated patients is low through up to 5 years of
treatment, ETV therapy does not eliminate the risk of HCC. Screening of
risk groups, therefore, remains necessary despite successful ETV
therapy, at least during the first years of treatment.”
Read more...Labels: Baraclude (Entacavir), cancer risk, entecavir monotherapy