Browsing by Author "Huang, Ching-I"

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Association of serial serum major histocompatibility complex class I chain-related A measurements with hepatocellular carcinoma in chronic hepatitis C patients after viral eradication
(2019-01-01)
Huang, Chung-Feng
;
Wang, Shu-Chi
;
Yeh, Ming-Lun
;
Huang, Ching-I
;
Tsai, Pei-Chien
Background and Aim Major histocompatibility complex class I chain-related A (MICA) genetic variants and their serum levels (sMICA) were associated with the development of hepatitis C virus-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in untreated cohorts. The dynamic changes in serial sMICA levels and their association with HCC in the post-curative status are elusive. Methods Single nucleotide polymorphism rs2596542 of MICA and serial sMICA levels were analyzed in chronic hepatitis C patients with a sustained virologic response after antivirals. Forty-two patients who developed HCC and 84 age-matched, gender-matched, and cirrhosis propensity score-matched non-HCC controls were compared. Serial sMICA levels were measured within 6 months before treatment initiation (pre-sMICA), 6 months after the end of treatment (post-sMICA), and on the last visit before the development (or not) of HCC (last-sMICA). Results Cox regression analysis revealed that last-sMICA was the only predictive factor of HCC development (hazard ratio/95% confidence interval: 2.27 (per 1 log pg/mL increase)/1.672-3.082, P < 0.001). Patients without HCC development showed a significantly reduced trend of sMICA levels during follow-up (trend P = 0.001), which was observed only in GG genotype (trend P < 0.001) but not A allele carriers (P = 0.88). In contrast, patients with HCC showed an increased trend of sMICA levels (trend P = 0.024). However, only the GG genotype "high expressors" (trend P = 0.06) but not A allele carriers (P = 0.18) showed a correlation of substantially increased trend of sMICA levels and HCC development. Conclusions Serial sMICA levels were associated with HCC development in SVR patients. The clinical utility of this finding is restricted to MICA rs2596542 GG genotype carriers.
Equal treatment efficacy of direct-acting antivirals in patients with chronic hepatitis C and hepatocellular carcinoma? A prospective cohort study
(2019-05-01)
Huang, Chung-Feng
;
Yeh, Ming-Lun
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Huang, Ching-I
;
Liang, Po-Cheng
;
Lin, Yi-Hung
Objective The treatment outcome of direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) in chronic hepatitis C patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is controversial. The current study aimed to address the treatment efficacy and safety of DAAs in patients with curative or active HCC, compared with those of patients without HCC. Design A prospective cohort study Setting A medical centre and two regional hospitals in Taiwan Participants A total of 713 Taiwanese patients (601 non-HCC, 74 curative HCC and 38 active HCC patients) who received standard-of-care DAAs were consecutively enrolled in the study. Main outcome measurement The primary objective was to determine treatment efficacy, defined as undetectable hepatitis C virus RNA throughout 12 weeks of the post-treatment follow-up period (sustained virological response 12 [SVR12]). Results The overall SVR12 rate was 96.9%. The SVR12 rate was similar between the patients with HCC and those without HCC (95.5% vs 97.2%, p=0.37). The HCC patients were divided into two groups, those with curative HCC and those with viable HCC; a substantially but not significantly lower SVR rate, 92.1% (35/38), was observed in the patients with viable HCC compared with the SVR rate, 97.3% (72/74), in those with curative HCC (p=0.33). Compared with the patients with curative HCC, the patients with viable HCC had a significantly higher proportion of serious adverse events (10.5% vs 1.0%, p=0.002), early treatment discontinuation (10.5% vs 2.8%, p=0.03) and mortality (5.3% vs 0.1%, p=0.008). Conclusions An equivalently high SVR rate was observed in patients with either past or active HCC compared with those without HCC. The safety concerns in the HCC patients did not compromise treatment efficacy.
Interference of hepatitis B virus dual infection in platelet count recovery in chronic hepatitis C patients with curative antiviral therapy
(2018-05-01)
Huang, Chung-Feng
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Yeh, Ming-Lun
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Huang, Ching-I
;
Lin, Zu-Yau
;
Chen, Shinn-Cherng
Background and AimHepatitis C virus infection is associated with thrombocytopenia. Thrombocytopenia recovers after viral eradication. The current study explored the rate and factors associated with platelet (PLT) recovery, which may represent the degree of liver fibrosis regression. MethodsA total of 466 patients who achieved a sustained virological response were enrolled to compare the PLT change after a mean follow-up period of 85.5months (range 12-163months). ResultsPlatelet counts increased significantly after achieving sustained virological response (from 16655x10(3) to 201 +/- 61x10(3)u/L, P<0.001). The median PLT count increment was 5.03x10(3)u/L per year. Logistic regression analysis revealed that factors associated with slow PLT count recovery were high pretreatment PLT counts (odds ratio [OR]/ 95% confidence intervals [CI]: 0.992/0.989-0.996, P<0.001) and hepatitis B virus (HBV) co-infection (OR/CI: 0.416/0.220-0.785, P=0.007). High PLT counts were the only factor associated with slow PLT recovery in patients with mild liver disease (F0-2) (OR/CI: 0.992/0.987-0.996, P<0.001). On the other hand, HBV co-infection was the only factor associated with slow PLT recovery in patients with advanced fibrosis (OR/CI: 0.207/0.054-0.789, P=0.02). Linear regression analysis of factors correlated to the delta PLT count change per year in patients with F0-2 included pretreatment white blood cell (: -0.001; CI: -0.002-0.000; P=0.01) and pretreatment PLT counts (: -0.037; CI: -0.061 to -0.013; P=0.003). HBsAg seropositivity was the only factor correlated to the delta PLT count change per year (: -10.193; CI: -16.752-3.635; P=0.003) among patients with F3-4. ConclusionsPlatelet counts recovered after hepatitis C virus eradication. HBV dual infection disrupted PLT count recovery, especially in CHC patients with advanced liver disease.
Lower protein expression levels of MHC class I chain-related gene A in hepatocellular carcinoma are at high risk of recurrence after surgical resection
(2018-10-25)
Huang, Chung-Feng
;
Wang, Shu-Chi
;
Chang, Wen-Tsan
;
Yeh, Ming-Lun
;
Huang, Ching-I
MHC class I chain-related gene A (MICA) variants have been associated with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Their association with MICA expression in cancer cells and cancer recurrence is unknown. SNP rs2596542 of MICA was tested in 193 HCC patients with surgical resection. The corresponding MICA expression in the cancer tissue was measured by immunochemistry microarray. Patients with the SNP rs2596542 A allele had significantly lower MICA expression in tumor tissue than did those with the GG genotype (24.7 +/- 15.1% vs. 41.5 +/- 23.4%, P < 0.001). Patients who had HCC recurrence had significantly lower MICA expression in tumor tissue (34.2 +/- 21.8% vs. 24.0 +/- 19.8%, P = 0.03). Cox regression analysis revealed that the factors independently predictive of HCC recurrence included low MICA expression (hazard ratio [HR]/95% confidence intervals [CI]: 2.77/1.07-7.14, P = 0.035) and tumor size (HR/CI: 5.22/2.11-12.96, P < 0.001). Compared to patients with tumors <5 cm and MICA expression >30%, patients with either one and both two risk factors had HCC HRs of 9.76 (C.I. 1.27-75.03, P = 0.03) and 27.30 (C.I. 3.46-215.6, P = 0.002), respectively. We concluded that low cellular MICA expressions were at a greater risk of HCC recurrence after curative treatment.
Post-treatment fibrotic modifications overwhelm pretreatment liver fibrosis in predicting HCC in CHC patients with curative antivirals
(2018-11-01)
Huang, Chung-Feng
;
Yeh, Ming-Lun
;
Huang, Ching-I
;
Liang, Po-Cheng
;
Lin, Yi-Hung
Background/aimsLiver fibrosis determined hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) occurrence in chronic hepatitis C patients with sustained virological response (SVR). We aimed to determine whether post-treatment fibrotic modification overwhelmed pretreatment fibrotic status in terms of long-term HCC prediction.Methods265 SVR patients with paired biopsies before and after antiviral therapy were enrolled for analysis of the association of fibrotic changes with HCC.ResultsEighteen (6.8%) of the 265 patients developed HCC over 1931 person-years. Cox regression analysis without post-treatment fibrosis as a covariant revealed that factors predicted HCC included age (hazard ratio [HR]/confidence intervals [CI] 1.07/1.01-1.13, p=0.01), male gender (HR/CI 4.57/1.45-14.36, p=0.009), diabetes (HR/CI 3.60/1.32-9.85, p=0.01) and pretreatment advanced fibrosis (HR/CI 2.73/1.05-7.07, p=0.039). Advanced fibrosis in post-treatment status replaced pretreatment fibrosis as the most critical determinant of HCC when it was included for analysis (HR/CI 3.53/1.34-9.30, p=0.01). The incidences of HCC among patients with fibrotic modification from F0-2 to F0-2, F34 to F0-2, F0-2 to F34 and F34 to F34 were 0.41%, 0.84%, 1.68%, and 3.05%, respectively (p=0.004). Compared to patients whose fibrotic stage remained at F0-2 before and after treatment, the HCC risk decreased and did not differ among those whose fibrotic stage improved from F34 to F0-2. However, HCC risk increased significantly and gradually in patients whose fibrotic stages changed from F0-2 to F34 (HR/CI 4.13/1.11-15.36, p=0.035) and whose fibrotic stages remained at F34 before and after treatment (HR/CI 7.47/2.37-23.55, p=0.001) (trend p=0.003).ConclusionsPost-treatment fibrotic modifications overwhelmed pretreatment fibrotic statuses in predicting HCC.