title: Clinical usefulness of total hepatitis C virus core antigen quantification to monitor the response to treatment with peginterferon alpha-2a plus ribavirin*.
abstract: Early virological response may predict outcome following treatment with peginterferon alpha-2a and ribavirin in patients chronically infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV). As total HCV core antigen may constitute an alternative direct marker to HCV RNA for assessing the levels of viraemia in such patients, we evaluated the correlation between HCV core antigen and HCV RNA, and whether HCV core antigen at baseline, 4 and 12 weeks after treatment could predict sustained virological response (SVR) to combined therapy, in comparison with HCV RNA. A total of 290 serum samples from 58 previously treatment naïve chronic HCV patients were examined for HCV core antigen and HCV-RNA by means of quantitative HCV RNA when receiving combination therapy for the first time. SVR was significantly associated with basal HCV core antigen but not with HCV RNA. There was a good correlation between HCV core antigen and HCV RNA (r(2) = 0.781). The negative predictive value of HCV core antigen testing in predicting nonresponse at weeks 4 and 12 were 75 and 100%, and for undetectable or a 2-log drop in HCV RNA were 69.6 and 75% respectively. HCV core antigen detection is quick, and easy to perform alternative to HCV RNA, and could be used as a marker of HCV viraemia for monitoring the progress of therapy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Hospital Germans Trias i Pujol, Badalona, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain. epadilla@ns.hugtip.scs.es
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: González
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Padilla
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Diago
authors.forename: M D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Giménez
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Solà
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Matas
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Montoliu
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Morillas
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pérez
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Planas
mesh_terms: D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000097:blood; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D012254:Ribavirin / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014758:Viral Core Proteins / Q000032:analysis / Q000097:blood / Q000187:drug effects; D014766:Viremia / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000821:virology
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents; D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha; D012367:RNA, Viral; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D014758:Viral Core Proteins; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols; D012254:Ribavirin; C100416:peginterferon alfa-2a