Before
you assume hepatitis C doesn’t affect you, know this: It's the most common bloodborne
infection in the U.S., and approximately half of those who have it don’t know because
they have no symptoms.
While
hepatitis C itself isn’t particularly menacing, it can cause inflammation in
the liver. And this inflammation can progress to cirrhosis and ultimately liver
cancer, which can be deadly. Amit Singal, M.D., Medical Director of the Liver
Tumor Program at UT Southwestern Harold C.
Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, describes liver disease as a continuum:
“Liver
health is a spectrum, where on one end you have a normal liver,” he says. “Some
people develop chronic liver disease [like hepatitis C] and move along the
spectrum. If this is not treated, they can develop cirrhosis over time. And
once a patient has cirrhosis, he or she has a risk of developing liver cancer
between 2% to 4% percent each year.”
Liver
cancer is one of the few cancers increasing in prevalence, while the incidence
of most other types of cancer is decreasing.
Who’s
at Risk?
Baby
boomers born between 1945 and 1965 are at highest risk for hepatitis C, as is
anyone who’s ever used injectable drugs (even just once), had a blood
transfusion or organ transplant before 1992, been on hemodialysis, or had an accidental
needle-stick injury in a health care setting.
Screening
for hepatitis C is easy – it’s a blood test – and treatment is effective. In fact, 90% to 100% percent of
hepatitis C patients are cured with a
12-week course of medication, which has few to no side effects, unlike older
hepatitis C drugs.
The
challenge is getting people to be screened. That’s why, with a grant from the
Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas, UT Southwestern is implementing an alert in the electronic medical records system to
remind primary care providers to recommend screening for their at-risk
patients.
UT Southwestern is also using a mobile van to go into eight North
Texas communities and screen underserved residents. While baby boomers born
between 1945 and 1965 are the most affected population, the opioid crisis has
raised hepatitis C rates among younger and rural populations in recent years as
well. Together, the program aims to screen more than 20,000 patients.
“We know that if you get treated for hepatitis C, this
significantly reduces your risk of liver disease complications, including liver
cancer – by 70% or more,” Dr. Singal says. “And so, it’s one of the best
preventive measures we have for liver cancer.”
