Interferon therapy of chronic hepatitis B virus infection in Chinese.
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is prevalent in Chinese populations. 40.4% of 383 Chinese HBV carriers studied were HBeAg-positive. The annual rate of spontaneous clearance of HBeAg was 11%. Twenty-six patients with HBsAg- and HBeAg- and HBeAg-positive non-malignant chronic liver disease randomised to receive recombinant alpha-2 interferon or no treatment have been followed for 6 months or longer. Seven of the 20 treated patients cleared HBeAg during or shortly after treatment but this was sustained in only 1 patient. One of the 6 controls had transient loss of HBeAg. It is too early to conclude whether interferon has any long-term effect on the suppression of HBV replication in Chinese patients. Sixty-nine patients with histologically proven hepatocellular carcinoma were randomised to receive adriamycin or interferon. Although there was no significant benefit on survival, interferon therapy was associated with greater than 25% regression in tumor size in 12.5% of patients and less toxicity.
D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000628:therapy; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D004317:Doxorubicin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000208:ethnology / Q000628:therapy*; D006513:Hepatitis B e Antigens / Q000032:analysis; D006521:Hepatitis, Chronic / Q000628:therapy*; D006723:Hong Kong; D006801:Humans; D007370:Interferon Type I / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000628:therapy; D008297:Male; D011897:Random Allocation; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000627:therapeutic use*
D006513:Hepatitis B e Antigens; D007370:Interferon Type I; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D004317:Doxorubicin