{"title":"Posttreatment FIB-4 score change predicts hepatocellular carcinoma in chronic hepatitis C patients: Findings from the Taiwan hepatitis C registry program.","authors":"Hung-Wei Wang, Yu-Syuan Zeng, Chung-Feng Huang, Chi-Yi Chen, Hsing-Tao Kuo, Kuo-Chih Tseng, Lein-Ray Mo, Pin-Nan Cheng, Chi-Ming Tai, Chao-Hung Hung, Ching-Chu Lo, Chien-Hung Chen, Pei-Lun Lee, Chi-Chieh Yang, Chun-Ting Chen, Chun-Yen Lin, Tsai-Yuan Hsieh, Lee-Won Chong, Chih-Lang Lin, Jui-Ting Hu, Sheng-Shun Yang, Jia-Horng Kao, Chun-Jen Liu, Wan-Long Chuang, Jee-Fu Huang, Ming-Lun Yeh, Chia-Yen Dai, Yi-Hsiang Huang, Han-Chieh Lin, Ming-Jong Bair, Szu-Jen Wang, Chien-Wei Huang, Ming-Chang Tsai, Chia-Chi Wang, Wei-Wen Su, Chih-Wen Lin, Chih-Lin Lin, Cheng-Hsin Chu, Ming-Lung Yu, Cheng-Yuan Peng","doi":"10.1016/j.jfma.2025.02.014","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>This study investigated whether Fibrosis-4 (FIB-4) score and its change can serve as predictors of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) development in patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC) infection receiving direct-acting antivirals (DAAs).</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This study identified 9679 patients who completed DAA treatment and achieved sustained virologic response (SVR) from the Taiwan Nationwide Real-World HCV Registry Program, and their risk of HCC was analyzed.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Multivariable Cox regression analyses identified diabetes mellitus (DM), alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) level, and FIB-4 score as independent predictors of HCC in both Model 1 (baseline) and Model 2 (SVR). Change in FIB-4 score (△FIB-4) of < -0.9086 from baseline to SVR achievement was a significant predictor of HCC only in Model 2 (SVR). In Model 2 (SVR), DM (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.53, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.04-2.26, p = 0.033), FIB-4 score (≥3.25 vs. <3.25; HR: 2.40, 95% CI: 1.63-3.53, p < 0.001), △FIB-4 (greater reduction: <-0.9086 vs. smaller reduction: ≥-0.9086; HR: 1.85, 95% CI: 1.25-2.74, p = 0.002), and AFP level (≥20 vs. <20 ng/mL; HR: 16.40, 95% CI: 9.16-29.36, p < 0.001) were significant predictors of HCC. At 3 years, the cumulative HCC incidence was 10.67% in patients with an FIB-4 score of ≥3.25 upon achieving SVR and △FIB-4 of < -0.9086 and 1.72% in those with an FIB-4 score of <3.25 upon achieving SVR and △FIB-4 of ≥ -0.9086.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Posttreatment FIB-4 score and its change from baseline can be used to stratify HCC risk in patients with CHC receiving DAAs.</p>","PeriodicalId":17305,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the Formosan Medical Association","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.6000,"publicationDate":"2025-02-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of the Formosan Medical Association","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfma.2025.02.014","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"MEDICINE, GENERAL & INTERNAL","Score":null,"Total":0}
Posttreatment FIB-4 score change predicts hepatocellular carcinoma in chronic hepatitis C patients: Findings from the Taiwan hepatitis C registry program.
Purpose: This study investigated whether Fibrosis-4 (FIB-4) score and its change can serve as predictors of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) development in patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC) infection receiving direct-acting antivirals (DAAs).
Methods: This study identified 9679 patients who completed DAA treatment and achieved sustained virologic response (SVR) from the Taiwan Nationwide Real-World HCV Registry Program, and their risk of HCC was analyzed.
Results: Multivariable Cox regression analyses identified diabetes mellitus (DM), alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) level, and FIB-4 score as independent predictors of HCC in both Model 1 (baseline) and Model 2 (SVR). Change in FIB-4 score (△FIB-4) of < -0.9086 from baseline to SVR achievement was a significant predictor of HCC only in Model 2 (SVR). In Model 2 (SVR), DM (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.53, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.04-2.26, p = 0.033), FIB-4 score (≥3.25 vs. <3.25; HR: 2.40, 95% CI: 1.63-3.53, p < 0.001), △FIB-4 (greater reduction: <-0.9086 vs. smaller reduction: ≥-0.9086; HR: 1.85, 95% CI: 1.25-2.74, p = 0.002), and AFP level (≥20 vs. <20 ng/mL; HR: 16.40, 95% CI: 9.16-29.36, p < 0.001) were significant predictors of HCC. At 3 years, the cumulative HCC incidence was 10.67% in patients with an FIB-4 score of ≥3.25 upon achieving SVR and △FIB-4 of < -0.9086 and 1.72% in those with an FIB-4 score of <3.25 upon achieving SVR and △FIB-4 of ≥ -0.9086.
Conclusions: Posttreatment FIB-4 score and its change from baseline can be used to stratify HCC risk in patients with CHC receiving DAAs.
期刊介绍:
Journal of the Formosan Medical Association (JFMA), published continuously since 1902, is an open access international general medical journal of the Formosan Medical Association based in Taipei, Taiwan. It is indexed in Current Contents/ Clinical Medicine, Medline, ciSearch, CAB Abstracts, Embase, SIIC Data Bases, Research Alert, BIOSIS, Biological Abstracts, Scopus and ScienceDirect.
As a general medical journal, research related to clinical practice and research in all fields of medicine and related disciplines are considered for publication. Article types considered include perspectives, reviews, original papers, case reports, brief communications, correspondence and letters to the editor.