People with severe liver damage who cure their hepatitis C virus (HCV) may be able to leave the liver transplant waiting list thanks to improvements in their liver disease, MedPage Today reports.

Researchers studied 142 members of the ELITA cohort, all of whom had decompenstated cirrhosis (the more advanced form of the severe liver disease) and were waiting for a liver transplant when they were cured of HCV. They were followed for 28 months.

Findings were presented at the 52nd International Liver Congress in Amsterdam.

Twenty-seven percent of the group was able to leave the liver transplant waiting list thanks to improvements in liver health, while a bit under half of the cohort did receive a transplant. The rest of the group died or dropped out of the cohort. During the study’s follow-up, two people who left the transplant list later rejoined it after their cirrhosis worsened again. A third person who left the list died of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC, the most common form of liver cancer). 

Various markers of liver disease improved after the individuals were cured of HCV, including MELD scores, Child Pugh scores, albumin levels and the proportion of cohort members who did not have hepatic encephalopathy (eventually, almost none did).

To read the MedPage Today article, click here.