Impact of Calcineurin Inhibitors on Hepatitis C Recurrence After Liver Transplantation

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Dig Dis Sci. 2011 Sep 1. [Epub ahead of print]

Impact of Calcineurin Inhibitors on Hepatitis C Recurrence After Liver

Transplantation.

Kim RD, Mizuno S, Sorensen JB, Schwartz JJ, Fujita S.

Source

Section of Transplantation, Department of Surgery, University of Utah School of

Medicine, 30 North 1900 East, 3B110 SOM, Salt Lake City, UT, 84132, USA,

robin.kim@....

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND AIMS:

The aim of this retrospective study is to assess the impact of calcineurin

inhibitors on hepatitis C virus recurrence following liver transplantation.

METHODS:

A total of 396 patients underwent liver transplantation for hepatitis C

virus-induced liver disease between 1991 and 2005 at a single center. We

examined the pre- and post-operative characteristics of patients who received

either cyclosporine (n = 126) or tacrolimus (n = 270) as maintenance

immunosuppression. In addition, we compared the postoperative course, including

patient, graft and hepatitis C virus recurrence-free survival between the two

groups.

RESULTS:

There were no significant differences between the two groups in either

post-operative hepatitis C virus-ribonucleic acid or histological fibrosis score

(performed within 6 months after transplant per protocol). The graft and patient

survivals did not differ between the two groups (logrank p = 0.34 and 0.15,

respectively). Histologic hepatitis C virus recurrence-free survival, however,

was significantly higher in the cyclosporine group than in the tacrolimus group

(55.4 vs. 30.8% at 1 year, 18.6 vs. 10.3% at 3 years, 16.7 vs. 8.1% at 5 years,

p < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS:

Patients transplanted for hepatitis C virus and treated with cyclosporine versus

tacrolimus may have a higher recurrence-free survival.

PMID: 21881974 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]