Background: Although there has been significant improvement in the therapy for HCV achieving a high sustained virological response (SVR). The possibility of developing HCC remains approximately 1% per year after SVR in patients with liver cirrhosis.
Objective: To evaluate the validity of different elastography techniques in prediction of presence of HCC in patients with chronic hepatitis C related liver cirrhosis.
Patients and Methods: This study was a cross-sectional study conducted on Sixty (60) chronic hepatitis C patients (with or without cirrhosis or hepatocellular carcinoma). The studied patients were recruited from Al-Hussein University Hospitals, and National Hepatology & Tropical Medicine Research institute, during the period from 1st of April 2020 to 1st of April 2021. All patients were subjected to full history taking, full physical examination with special emphasis on general examination and abdominal examination, laboratory investigations including CBC, liver function test, renal function test, viral hepatitis markers, serum Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) level, abdominal ultrasonography, triphasic CT of abdomen and measurement of liver stiffness. Patients were classified into three equal groups: Group I: HCV patients without liver cirrhosis, Group II: HCV patients with liver cirrhosis and no HCC, and Group III: HCV patients with liver cirrhosis and HCC.
Results: FibroScan can be used to discriminate between group A (HCV Without cirrhosis) and group B (HCV with cirrhosis) at a cutoff level of > 11.1, with 100% sensitivity, 100 % specificity, 100% PPV and 100% NPV (AUC = 1.0 and p-value < 0.001). Also, fibroscan can be used to discriminate between group B (HCV with cirrhosis) & group C (HCV with cirrhosis and HCC) at a cutoff level of > 22.6, with 80% sensitivity, 80% specificity, 80% PPV and 80% NPV (AUC = 0.88 & p-value < 0.001). Shear wave elastography (SWE) discriminated between group A (HCV without cirrhosis) and group B (HCV with cirrhosis) at a cutoff level of > 9.6, with 100% sensitivity, 100 % specificity, 100% PPV and 100% NPV (AUC = 1.0 and p-value < 0.001). Also Shear wave elastography (SWE) discriminated between group B (HCV with cirrhosis) and group C (HCV with cirrhosis and HCC) at a cutoff level of > 21.05, with 75% sensitivity, 60% specificity, 65.2% PPV and 70.6% NPV (AUC = 0.68 and p-value = 0.054).
Conclusions: Ultrasound elastographic technology can predict the occurrence of HCC.