Successful treatment of hepatitis C virus infection with direct-acting antivirals during hematopoietic cell transplant

Abstract

Current guidelines recommend that hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection be treated completely prior to hematopoietic cell transplantation or delayed until immune reconstitution after transplantation to avoid drug-drug interactions and treatment interruption. However, these recommendations were informed by outcomes using treatment with ribavirin and pegylated interferon. We report the first case of successful treatment of HCV using direct-acting antivirals during hematopoietic cell transplantation. This case study suggests that treatment of HCV concurrent with hematopoietic cell transplantation for malignancy may be the best option for some patients in whom it is unsafe to delay treatment for either disease.

Keywords: acute myeloid leukemia; direct-acting antivirals; hematopoietic cell transplantation; hepatitis C virus; stem cell transplantation.