Predictors of Disease Recurrence Post Living Donor Liver Transplantation in End Stage Chronic HCV Patients

HCV recurrence represents a universal phenomenon after liver transplantation. In this study Fifty HCV patients who underwent living donor liver transplantation were enrolled and factors that may accelerate HCV reinfection of the allograft such as donor's age and degree of liver steatosis, recipient's age, gender, BMI, MELD score, liver functions, HCV viral load, type of immunosuppressive drug, and genetic polymorphisms of IL28B, OAS, and IL1B were studied. The results of disease-free survival (DFS) rates showed inverse correlation with the recipient's postoperative levels of ALT, AST, ALP ( P < 0.001, <0.001, and 0.006 resp.) as well as pre- and postoperative titers of HCV RNA ( P < 0.003 and <0.001 resp.). Recipient's IL28B SNP was a significant factor in predicting postoperative DFS ( P < 0.025). However, SNPs in OAS and IL1B genes had no apparent correlation with DFS. Cox proportional hazards model revealed that patients with elevated levels of ALT, preoperative viral titers, IL28B CT, and IL28B TT were 8.28, 4.22, 3.35, and 1.36 times, respectively, more likely to develop recurrence. In conclusion IL28B SNP, ALT level, and preoperative HCV titer besides proper choice of immunosuppressant are helpful for predicting posttransplant HCV recurrence and DFS.