RVR (Rapid Virological Response) no detectable HCV in the blood after 4 wks tx. Good indicator of SVR but it is not accurate to predict outcome so HCV tx should NOT BE DISCONTINUED if there is no RVR. RVR is mainly used in research.

EVR (Early Virological Response): EVR means that HCV VL has dropped by 99% (2 logs), or is UND after 12 wks of HCV treatment. An EVR is a good predictor of the ultimate response to tx. If a person does not have an EVR, their chance of SVR is very low (1-4%). Usually, HCV tx is discontinued in people who do not have an EVR. This refers to previous tx regimes, however, and I can't find any current guidelines on the shorter 12 wk tx Solvadi based meds. Perhaps this is the wk 8 VL now for S&O?

ETR (End-of-Tx Response): ETR means that there is no HCV in the blood at ETR. The ETR is usually higher than the SVR rate, because the virus may reappear in a persons blood after completion of HCV tx.

SVR-12 means that there is no detectable virus in the blood 12 wks after completion of tx.. Many experts agree that relapse is most likely to occur within 12 wks. However, FDA & other regulatory bodies requires 24 wk post-tx follow-up before a person is considered to have achieved SVR

SVR-(Sustained Virological Response): means no HCV detectable six mo. after a person completes tx. Many experts regard SVR as a cure, and it is an indication of long-term remission. SVR rates are always lower than response rates from earlier time points.

Bottom line. I'd be begging to continue. My question would be about viral mutations & at what point would I be able to do tx again if, heaven forbid, off-label didn't work for me. Do I have to wait 2 yrs for the virus to revert back to wild type? Wait 1 yr. Wait 6 mo. When can I do retreatment. We know viral mutations & resistance plus intolerable side effects were reasons to discontinue older tx regimes. Gilead is also developing a third drug to add to the Solvadi & Ledispavir cocktail which would make this tx even more potent.

I know this is long but hope it helps. All the terms & stuff always confused me in the beginning & still makes my head spin keeping up with it.

you are amazing, aal... so helpful and "smaht" - I am serious. You have really done your research, but I sure can see why having been through all you have been through. Your "turn" is coming - believe it.

I have not started treatment yet, still in the process of negotiating the copays but once that is done I can start anytime I want.
I obviously want to know why I was told I will be monitored every month and if I am not (less than) RNA 15 , the treatment is discontinued.
They have quit a few patients on S&O but none have completed 12 weeks so it will be a while before the SVR4 SVR12 stats are in.
I will be asking questions before I start.
-Why they end treatment at 4 weeks depending on undetectable status
-How many if any patients they have done this to.
To answer your question AAL, the nurse said if this treatment doesn't work for me I am still eligible to do the AbbVie cocktail when it comes out in a few months.

On dose 4...this is one scary ass thread.

Reality can be baaaaad ju ju.

Dont send me any get well hugs thank you very much.

;) - gonna be okay, Lev - it is. ;)

Kramer, I am really interested in hearing what your doc's explanation is about ending tx if you aren't clear at 4 wks. Haven't found anything to support that logic & thanks for the response about retreatment. I've been sweating that a little & I'm still a few months away from retreatment with S&L.

Lev, no get well hugs needed. Sovaldi based tx WORKS! All the trials proved it & real world results are showing the same thing ... real world has more difficult to tx geno 1a patients on board with the Sovaldi meds. I have cleansed the bad ju ju. Good night. :-)

All this confusion for me has been the DS issue with the "less than" symbol and not knowing the full picture of what one wonders was trying to share.
I awoke this morning and recalled the nurse must have said if not less than RNA 15 iu qualitative treatment is stopped. Not initially being able to see the number I was confused.
Whew!
Onewonders you are doing fine (and so am I now).
Sorry for contributing to the confusion; actually making it worse!

The VL stuff IS confusing, and as of yesterday, some of the blanks were filled in for me by my nurse. I was thinking there was only one type of test, or as nurse calls it, "assay." Not so. The "assay" used for my VL test was the "NGI HCV QuantaSure" by National Genetics Inst LabCorp. That one detects down to 2 UL/mL. And that was my result - less than 2. Nurse told me that means I am undetected. I WANT to see that word, but it's not gonna happen with that particular test/assay. The virus was NOT detected when the measuring device, whatever, got down to 2 unit of whatever (sorry, I am perhaps confusing this more, but I am struggling to comprehend it). And that's as good as it gets. I'm still wary - can't help but be.

1wonders had a different type assay used.... COBAS(R) TaqMan (R) and it detects only down as far as 15. The difference between her results and mine are the words on hers, "Under 15 HCV RNA detected" - and there's that scary word - "detected". BUT the actual meaning to us out here trying to figure it out is elusive.

1wonders - I had to talk to my nurse twice before I had any glimmer of understanding since all this time on here and other forums I have only seen "UNDETECTED" or some # indicating how many of the bugs were detected as opposed to a "less than" with a number. The "less than" part I'm not familiar with so it threw me too. Still is, actually, no matter what my nurse says or how she tries to assure me the dragon is dead.

Dammit - I just had a MOMENT OF INSIGHT, was typing it, went back to grab something from 1wonder's test and lost the whole thing.

Okay, breathe.

All right - let me try it again.

This was on 1wonder's lab result: "Results less than the quantitative range of the assay will be reported as "HCV RNA detected, less than 15 IU/mL" Her test only goes as far down as 15. Her result was: "Under 15 HCV RNA detected." THAT is CONFUSING!

Here is that particular blurb on my test, which I JUST noticed (had to do all caps since we can't format on here): "PCR assay performed using National Genetic Institute's validated, proprietary methodology. RESULTS GREATER THAN OR EQUAL TO 5 COPIES/mL OF HCV RNA INDICATE THE PRESENCE OF VIRUS-SPECIFIC NUCLEIC ACID SEQUENCE."

Okay, now I've got it (I think) as far as what I was missing on mine - there were NOT 5 copies/mL or more of the virus, so the "virus-specific nucleic acid sequence (the bugs - lol)" would be ASSumed to be not present.

1wonders - perhaps call your nurse and take her through the trip I did mine yesterday - explain this, to me, please! My nurse did not point out that stuff I just typed - if she had, I might have grasped it more quickly. I am ALMOST ready to believe I'm UD - not quite. :)

Yours though - that's just downright confusing, no way around it, and I'd say you need the insight of your nurse to fully understand it. I'm thinking about you, and I do think you are okay - we both have several weeks to go too, so let's hit any remnants of this BEAST hard. See the dragon giving up and moving out.

Lev, don't be scared, okay? I am rather scaring myself throwing down all these numbers and I HATE math - and I also cannot think logically - right brain rules. So this has been exhausting -- HA HA HA. But don't be scared, 'k?