Authors’ reply

Eyas Alkhalili, Alissa Greenbaum, Li Luo, Rodrigo Rodriguez, Katharine Caldwell, Oscar Munoz Estrada, Jacqueline O’Neill, Itzhak Nir, Katherine T. Morris

University of New Mexico, New Mexico, USA

Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, University of New Mexico, New Mexico, USA

Correspondence to: Eyas Alkhalili, MD, Office 1, UNM HSC Department of Surgery, MSC 10 5610, 1 UNM, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131, USA, e-mail: EAlkhalili@salud.unm.edu

Received 30 March 2017; accepted 30 March 2017; published online 25 April 2017

DOI: https://doi.org/10.20524/aog.2017.0150

Ann Gastroenterol 2017; 30 (4): 471-471

We would like to thank Dr Spartalis et al for their interest in our article [1]. It has been shown that human immunodeficiency virus and hepatitis C virus (HIV-HCV) coinfection is associated with shorter survival in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) [2]. In addition, the presence of hepatitis B or C is associated with an increased risk of HCC in HIV patients [3]. We thus agree that HIV-HCV coinfection is associated with a worse prognosis in patients with HCC. However, since our cohort did not include any patients with HIV infection we were not able to study this group.

References

1. Alkhalili E, Greenbaum A, Luo L, Viral hepatitis status does not affect survival in patients with hepatocellular carcinomaAnn Gastroenterol 2017; 30: 101-105.

2. Lewin M, Gelu-Simeon M, Ostos M, Imaging features and prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma in patients with cirrhosis who are coinfected with human immunodeficiency virus and hepatitis C virusRadiology 2015; 277: 443-453.

3. Ioannou GN, Bryson CL, Weiss NS, Miller R, Scott JD, Boyko EJ, The prevalence of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma in patients with human immunodeficiency virus infectionHepatology 2013; 57: 249-257.

Notes

Conflict of Interest: None