Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Antiviral therapy is essential for hepatitis B virus-related acute-on-chronic liver failure (HBV-ACLF). No data are available on the long-term prognosis or safety of tenofovir alafenamide (TAF), tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF), or entecavir (ETV) in treating HBV-ACLF globally. This study was conducted to investigate the long-term efficacy and safety of the three nucleos(t)ide analogs in the treatment of HBV-ACLF. METHODS: In this prospective, real-world cohort study, patients with HBV-ACLF were assigned to the TAF, TDF, and ETV groups. A total of 199 patients completed the 144-week follow-up. After propensity score matching (PSM), 44 patients remained in each group for further analysis of survival status, incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), virological response, and liver and renal function indicators. RESULTS: In the original cohort, HCC developed in one patient in each group. No serious drug-related adverse events were observed. In the PSM cohort, the 144-week survival rates were 56.82%, 75.00%, and 59.09% in the TAF, TDF, and ETV groups, respectively (P = 0.118). When stratified into noncirrhosis and cirrhosis subgroups at baseline, the survival rate of the ETV group was slightly lower than that of the TAF and TDF group in noncirrhosis patients (P = 0.338), and the survival rate of the TAF group was slightly lower than that of the TDF and ETV group in cirrhosis patients (P = 0.052), but the differences were not statistically significant. The long-term overall survival rates in the TAF, TDF, and ETV groups were comparable. After 144 weeks, no significant difference in the virological response rate or liver or renal function indicators was found among the three groups, except for the level of aspartate aminotransferase, which was significantly higher in the TDF group than in the ETV group at week 144 (P = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: There were no significant differences in the survival rate, incidence of HCC, efficacy or safety associated with the use of these three nucleos(t)ide analogs in treating HBV-ACLF. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03920618.