Dr. Parikh on Future Research Directions in Hepatitis C-Related HCC

Neehar Parikh, MD, medical director, Multidisciplinary Liver Tumor Clinic, medical director, Living Donor Liver Transplantation Program, assistant professor, University of Michigan Health, Michigan Medicine, discusses future research directions in hepatitis C-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

During the 2021 International Liver Cancer Association Annual Conference, findings from a retrospective cohort study were presented virtually. Moving forward, these analyses could be updated should additional systemic therapies get introduced to the HCC armamentarium to determine whether these agents induce a survival benefit in patients with hepatitis C-related HCC, Parikh says. However, this would be difficult to conduct prospectively at this point. 

Additionally, hepatitis C is becoming an increasingly rare etiologic cause of HCC and cirrhosis because of improved screening and direct-acting antiviral therapies, Parikh explains. 

Although less patients are presenting with viremic hepatitis C, this analysis serves to fulfill an unmet need. Additionally, it remains beneficial to explore other cohort studies to observe patients with active, treated hepatitis C-related HCC to determine how treatment affects outcomes, Parikh concludes.