Press Release

26.10.2009

Monitoring antiviral therapy response in HCV positive cirrhotic patients by SCCA-IgM

A study authored by Dr. Antonino Picciotto Viral Hepatitis Unit, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Genova has been published on the latest issue of Journal of Viral Hepatitis reporting the application of SCCA-IgM (Hepa-IC, XEPTAGEN) to monitor the effect of antiviral therapy in cirrhotic patients. The study enrolled 33 patients chronically infected with HCV who underwent pegylated interferon and ribavirin combination antiviral therapy. Serum SCCA-IgM levels were elevated in the majority of patients, with no statistically significant difference between baseline values in the groups of patients with sustained virological response (SVR) and non response (NR) to treatment. Serum SCCA-IgM levels decreased during antiviral therapy, and continued to decrease during both 6-month and 1-year follow-up. The drop in serum SCCA-IgM concentration was statistically significant only in patients who achieved a sustained response to antiviral therapy. In these group of patients SCCA-IgM levels were already significantly lower, compared to baseline, at the end of treatment and a further decline was observed at both 6 and 12 months of follow-up, while no significant modifications were observed in non responder patients.