REVIEW  IMPACT OF DIRECT ANTIVIRAL AGENTS (DAAS) ON EXTRAHEPATIC DISEASES IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC HEPATITIS C 

Minerva Gastroenterology 2021 September;67(3):227-33

DOI: 10.23736/S2724-5985.21.02834-8

Copyright © 2021 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English

Impact of direct antiviral agents (DAAs) on B-cell non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in patients with chronic hepatitis C

Alessia CIANCIO ✉

School of Medicine, Department of Medical Sciences, University of Turin, Turin, Italy

INTRODUCTION: The relationship between HCV infection and extrahepatic manifestations has been demonstrated by epidemiological, clinical, immunological, and pathological studies. Patients with HCV infection have an increased risk of morbidity and mortality related to these non-liver diseases. For these reasons, HCV chronic infection should be considered a systemic disease in which extrahepatic manifestations increase the severity of the disease.
EVIDENCE ACQUISITION: We performed on PubMed a literature search for the articles published up to October 2020 by using the search terms “HCV infection,” “HCV syndrome,” “HCV-related hematological disorders,” “extrahepatic manifestation,” and “HCV-related B cell non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.”
EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS: HCV-extrahepatic manifestations may severely affect the overall prognosis, while viral eradication significantly reduces non-liver related deaths. Over the past 5 years, treatment of chronic HCV infection in patients with hematologic malignancies has evolved rapidly and effective and safe direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) have become the standard-of-care treatment.
CONCLUSIONS: The choice of regimens with DAAs should be individualized after thorough assessment for potential hematologic toxic effects and drug-drug interactions. Elimination of HCV from infected cancer patients confers virologic, hepatic, and oncologic benefits.

KEY WORDS: Antiviral agents; Hepatitis C; Lymphoproliferative disorders