— Christine M. Kukka, Project Manager, HBV Advocate
A large Canadian study, reported in the journal of Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics, found that several years of antiviral treatment reduced liver cancer risk in patients with hepatitis B.
In this study, 549 high-risk hepatitis B patients were treated with antivirals–primarily entecavir (Baraclude) and tenofovir (Viread)–for more than three years. Their average age was 46, 65% were male, 32% were HBeAg-positive, and 20% had cirrhosis (severe liver scarring).
Over 3.2 years of follow-up, 11 (3.2%) developed liver cancer. Their cancer rates were "significantly" lower than similar patient groups who did not receive antiviral treatment. The drop in cancer incidence became most apparent after four years of treatment, researchers noted.
Labels: antivirals, reduced cancer risk