Early detection of nonresponse to interferon plus ribavirin combination treatment of chronic hepatitis C

We have investigated the value of early hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA decline (ΔHCV RNA) to predict response to combination therapy in 66 chronic hepatitis C patients treated with IFN-α2b (3 MU thrice weekly) and ribavirin (800 mg daily) for 12 months [25 sustained responders (SR) and 41 nonresponders or relapsers (NR)]. Serum HCV RNA was retrospectively measured in samples obtained at baseline and 4, 8 and 12 weeks after treatment onset, using a commercially available quantitative RT-PCR assay. At 4 weeks, serum HCV RNA had decreased a mean of 2.6 ± 0.8 logs among SR as compared with only 0.5 ± 0.8 logs in NR (P < 0.001), and was already undetectable (< 600 IU/mL) in 12 (48%) of the SR but in none of the NR. At 8 weeks, HCV RNA was undetectable in 21 SR and in 2 NR and mean ΔHCV RNA were 4.2 ± 1.3 and 0.8 ± 1.0 logs, respectively (P < 0.001). At week 12 all SR had undetectable HCV RNA as compared with only five NR (P < 0.001). Stepwise logistic regression analysis identified ΔHCV RNA at 12 weeks as the strongest predictor of sustained response. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves of ΔHCV RNA for sustained response prediction identified sensitivity peaks with 100% negative predictive value corresponding to ΔHCV RNA > 1 log at 4 weeks, > 2 logs at 8 weeks and > 3 logs at 12 weeks. Our results show that early changes in the HCV RNA level may reliably identify patients having no chance of a sustained virological response during the first 3 months of combination therapy, thus providing an excellent tool for optimizing antiviral treatment of chronic hepatitis C.