Piecing together the key players of fibrosis in chronic hepatitis C: what roles do non-hepatic liver resident cell types play?

WHO estimates suggest that worldwide 150–200 million people are chronic carriers of HCV. Of these up to 30% will develop chronic liver inflammation and fibrosis and progress to cirrhosis or hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in the long term. New HCV infections are still occurring, and most HCV carriers are unaware of their status. Therefore incidences of HCV-induced liver disease and cancer are predicted to rise in the coming decade in spite of important recent progress in the development of direct antiviral agents. These new treatments appear to have greatly improved efficacies and safety profiles combined with a high genetic barrier and they are likely to introduce an era of interferon-free therapy in the near future.1 Virological cure in the form of a sustained virological response (SVR) is predicted to become attainable for most patients, including HCV carriers that were previously difficult to treat.1 A number of...
Source: Gut - Category: Gastroenterology Authors: Tags: Commentary Source Type: research