Hepatitis C Virus Infection and Chemotherapy in Breast Cancer: A Retrospective Chart Analysis.
Saptaparni GhoshMinghua L ChenJanice WeinbergTsion FikreNaomi Y KoPublished in: The oncologist (2020)
This study found that hepatitis C infection is associated with a greater risk of treatment delays and dose modifications in patients with breast cancer receiving cytotoxic chemotherapy. Hepatitis C-positive patients have a higher treatment burden with dose changes, hospitalizations, and longer treatment periods than noninfected patients. Further prospective investigations to confirm these findings are warranted in a larger patient population. Given that hepatitis C infection can be curable with direct-acting antivirals, treatment of hepatitis C may alleviate treatment challenges during chemotherapy and improve survival for patients with breast cancer.