Liver stiffness measurements in chronic hepatitis C: Treatment evaluation and risk assessment

Background and Aim Liver stiffness (LS), measured by transient elastography, has been validated as a non‐invasive surrogate for liver fibrosis. Methods We investigated the long‐term predictive ability of LS for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) development and overall survival in 1146 patients with chronic hepatitis C by using LS value at enrollment. We also investigated chronological changes in LS based on antiviral therapy and its outcome in 752 patients. Results During the mean follow‐up period of 6.6 years, 190 patients developed HCC. Cumulative HCC incidence rates at 5 years were clearly stratified as 1.7% in the ≤ 5 kPa, 3.3% in 5.1–10 kPa, 16.7% in 10.1–15 kPa, 24.4% in 15.1–20 kPa, 36.3% in 20.1–25 kPa, and 43.7% in > 25 kPa subgroups (P 25 kPa subgroups (P