Post‐to Pretreatment Ratio of Serum CXCL10 Level Predicts Short‐Term Liver Function Outcome in Compensated and Decompensated Cirrhotic Patients Due to Chronic Hepatitis C Virus Infection After Direct‐Acting Antiviral Therapy

Aim The prognostic value of serum C‐X‐C motif chemokine ligand 10 (CXCL10) levels for liver function was investigated in hepatitis C virus (HCV)–infected patients with compensated or decompensated cirrhosis (cLC and dLC, respectively) following treatment with direct‐acting antivirals (DAAs). Methods In this nationwide study involving multiple centers, 164 HCV‐related liver cirrhosis patients (95 with cLC and 69 with dLC), who underwent treatment with DAAs, were analyzed. Serum levels of CXCL10 were assessed at the baseline (pre‐CXCL10) and at 12 or 24 weeks after the end of therapy (post‐CXCL10). Associations between CXCL10 levels and liver function after DAA therapy were evaluated. Results Of the 164 study patients, the albumin–bilirubin (ALBI) grade was reduced to Grade 1 in 85 patients at one year after end of therapy (EOT1Y). Serum CXCL10 ratios (post‐CXCL10/pre‐CXCL10 levels) were significantly lower in ALBI Grade 1 patients than the others ( p = 0.014) at EOT1Y. Receiver operating curve analysis for distinguishing ALBI Grade 1 at EOT1Y demonstrated that the area under the curve was 0.611, with an optimal cutoff value of 0.504. Multivariate analysis revealed that body mass index (BMI; odds ratio [OR] 0.816; p < 0.001), absence of ascites (OR 3.340; p = 0.003), FIB‐4 index (OR 0.872; p = 0.026), and serum CXCL10 ratios < 0.504 (OR 2.630; p = 0.010) were independently correlated to ALBI Grade 1 at EOT1Y. Conclusions The post‐to pretreatment serum CXCL10 ratio was independently associated with short‐term liver function outcome following HCV eradication in cirrhotic patients. Registry and registration Nos This study was registered to the University Hospital Medical Information Network (36,150).