Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is one of the primary causes of hepatocellular carcinoma and liver transplantation (LT). Graft loss due to hepatitis C (HCV) recurrence is a serious problem after LT. Thus, the approval of interferon-free direct-acting antiviral (DAA) regimens has important implications in the LT setting. The findings of controlled trials have confirmed the safety and the excellent efficacy of most DAA combinations, and these findings have been confirmed by reports of high rates of sustained virologic response in the real-life setting. However, data from patients with decompensated cirrhosis who are on the LT waiting list are still scarce and, when available, suggest cautious consideration of whether HCV treatment before LT is beneficial in all cases. Progression of cirrhosis and refractory decompensation result in severely decreasing response rates, the risk of resistance, and reduced Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) scores despite clinical deterioration, making LT more difficult to achieve. On the other hand, treating HCV recurrence after LT is feasible with most of the available DAA combinations. Thus, an important topic of current debate is the establishment of predictors and conditions that can determine whether HCV treatment is best before or after LT. This review article comprehends and discusses recent data and challenges on the treatment of HCV infection in the liver transplant setting.
Keywords: Hepatitis C; Interferon-free direct-acting antivirals; Liver transplantation; Therapy.