Risk of Hepatocellular Cancer in HCV Patients Treated With Direct-Acting Antiviral Agents

Background and AimsThe risk of hepatocellular cancer (HCC) after sustained virological response (SVR) with direct-acting antivirals (DAA) is unclear. Our aim was to examine the risk and determinants of HCC in patients cured with DAA.MethodsWe conducted a retrospective cohort study of hepatitis C virus patients who were treated with DAA in any of the 129 Veterans Health Administration hospitals between January 1, 2015 and December 31, 2015. We calculated the annual incidence rates of HCC by SVR. We used Cox regression models to compare the risk of HCC in patients with vs those without SVR and to identify factors associated with incident HCC among patients with SVR. We reviewed a sample of HCC patients for tumor…