please help to decide with TX (canada)

[andy_k]

hello,
please help to decide with TX.

i'm 41 yo, gen 1, found out that have hep c last year during blood test for hep A and B.
not sure for how long i have it, feeling constantly tired for 4-5 years

virus load june 2010: 1.6*E6
alt june: 2010 - 71
alt dec:  2010 - 140
alt mar:  2011 - 129

biopcy: apr 2011, scaring 1/4, inflamation 2-3/4

the GI suggesting to start SOC as soon as possible.
he thinks it will help to prevent more liver damage and he is not sure when and how everything will work with new meds (i'm in canada).

he has some involment with clinical trails, but nothing is available at the current moment.

i'm just not sure what to do.

any advise or suggestion is welcome

thanks

[andy_k]

thanks a lot Trish!

[willbb]

"Success rates are 40-50% if you are not UND - undetectable until after 12 weeks."
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I have never seen a study that showed SVR rates anywhere close to this if still DET. at WK.12....all the studys  I have read said between 25 - 30%  if UND between Wk.12 and 24.

[Trish77]

Success rates are 40-50% if you are not UND - undetectable until after 12 weeks.  Before that, your success rates are considerably higher than that if you are RVR at 4 weeks or EVR at 12 weeks - undetectable for virus at either of those points.

I understand Will's point as well - so the question then is...IF you had the IL28B test done and it shows you are TT, would it stop you from proceeding and seeing how you do at 4 weeks and at 12 weeks?  If not....then it's informational and your actual treatment results are what is important.  If the results of an IL28B test coming back as TT would make you wait on treatment for a PI, then it's a useful piece of information to have before starting treatment.

There are certainly a number of things to consider and fortunate that you know you have Hep C while you are still early stage and have time to decide.  Good luck with sorting through all this, Andy.  

Trish

[andy_k]

thanks a lot for your advises Will, i really appreciate it!

i'm just not sure what to do at the moment.

from one side i would like to get rid of it faster, but on the other side i have read a lot about all the sx and knowing the tx lenth (48 weeks) and success rates (40-50%) it is not easy to agee on it ...

anywas, now i have something to think about in a next couples of days/weeks...

thanks!

[willbb]

Hi Andy...I know it is not available in Canada ,however with a doctors prescription  and 350.00(yes a little costly) you can walk into any Lab Corp lab(closest to us is Buffalo) and have results within a week to 10 days.

Yes ..it is for info. purposes only ....my only thought was that if you are found to have the TT allele( about 20% of caucasians) then to do Soc ,according to the studies I looked at(and if I am mistaken on this I hope someone corrects me) would mean about approx.  23% chance of SVR and approx. 0% chance of RVR...so  it  could save you from possibly 12 weeks of Interferon  without the benefit of a P.I

Good tho your doc is going to evaluate anyway at week 4  and together you can make decisions from there.

Don't mean to confuse you further either...its just that with no liver damage you have the options of  kinda picking and choosing what is best for you.....but in the end taking the advice of a knowlegable doc(in HCV treatment ) is always best.

Good luck Andy...

Will

[andy_k]

Will,

i've asked him about this test as well, not available, quite costly, not really widely used, kinda experimental, mostly for information only...

he says 4 week test will show how i respond to tx anyways, why to do it if it is not used to make a decision

i will try to contact Lapcorp in US, to see if i can do it without referal...

thanks!