title: SAFE biopsy: a validated method for large-scale staging of liver fibrosis in chronic hepatitis C.
abstract: The staging of liver fibrosis is pivotal for defining the prognosis and indications for therapy in hepatitis C. Although liver biopsy remains the gold standard, several noninvasive methods are under evaluation for clinical use. The aim of this study was to validate the recently described sequential algorithm for fibrosis evaluation (SAFE) biopsy, which detects significant fibrosis (> or =F2 by METAVIR) and cirrhosis (F4) by combining the AST-to-platelet ratio index and Fibrotest-Fibrosure, thereby limiting liver biopsy to cases not adequately classifiable by noninvasive markers. Hepatitis C virus (HCV) patients (2035) were enrolled in nine locations in Europe and the United States. The diagnostic accuracy of SAFE biopsy versus histology, which is the gold standard, was investigated. The reduction in the need for liver biopsies achieved with SAFE biopsy was also assessed. SAFE biopsy identified significant fibrosis with 90.1% accuracy (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve = 0.89; 95% confidence interval, 0.87-0.90) and reduced by 46.5% the number of liver biopsies needed. SAFE biopsy had 92.5% accuracy (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve = 0.92; 95% confidence interval, 0.89-0.94) for the detection of cirrhosis, obviating 81.5% of liver biopsies. A third algorithm identified significant fibrosis and cirrhosis simultaneously with high accuracy and a 36% reduction in the need for liver biopsy. The patient's age and body mass index influenced the performance of SAFE biopsy, which was improved with adjusted Fibrotest-Fibrosure cutoffs. Two hundred two cases (9.9%) had discordant results for significant fibrosis with SAFE biopsy versus histology, whereas 153 cases (7.5%) were discordant for cirrhosis detection; 71 of the former cases and 56 of the latter cases had a Fibroscan measurement within 2 months of histological evaluation. Fibroscan confirmed SAFE biopsy findings in 83.1% and 75%, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  SAFE biopsy is a rational and validated method for staging liver fibrosis in hepatitis C with a marked reduction in the need for liver biopsy. It is an attractive tool for large-scale screening of HCV carriers.
authors.affiliation: Venetian Institute of Molecular Medicine, Padova, Italy.
authors.forename: Giada
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Sebastiani
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Halfon
authors.forename: Laurent
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Castera
authors.forename: Stanislas
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pol
authors.forename: David L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Thomas
authors.forename: Alessandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mangia
authors.forename: Vito
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Di Marco
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pirisi
authors.forename: Mihai
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Voiculescu
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Guido
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bourliere
authors.forename: Franco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Noventa
authors.forename: Alfredo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Alberti
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D001706:Biopsy / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000150:complications*; D006801:Humans; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging / Q000379:methods; D012189:Retrospective Studies