The risks of first hepatic decompensation and HCC remain constant during long-term follow-up and can be stratified by a one-time assessment after HCV-cure

Background More than 1 million patients/year will be cured from HCV infection for the next decade. In those with compensated advanced chronic liver disease(cACLD), the risks of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and hepatic decompensation are decreased but not completely abolished by HCV-cure. Thus, risk stratification is key to decrease resource utilization. We evaluated whether the incidences of HCC and hepatic decompensation decrease with time after HCV-cure and whether the discriminatory ability of a one-time post-treatment assessment is maintained during long-term follow-up.