Effectiveness of interferon therapy for reducing the incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma among patients with type C chronic hepatitis.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the effect of interferon treatment for reducing the incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma among patients with type C chronic hepatitis.


METHODS
Retrospective cohort study was conducted on 923 patients with type C chronic hepatitis, who were identified through databases of Osaka Medical Center for Cancer and Cardiovascular Diseases. Two hundred and twenty-four of those had undergone interferon treatment, while the other 699 patients had not. Kaplan-Meier method and the proportional hazards model were used for statistical analysis.


RESULTS
Five-years' cumulative incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma was 2.2% among the interferon treated patients, while 9.5% among the interferon untreated. Difference between the 2 curves of the cumulative incidence was statistically significant (p=0.0015). After adjustment for possible confounders, hazard rate ratio of hepatocellular carcinoma was 0.31 in the interferon treated group, significantly lower than that in the untreated (p=0.015). Hazard rate ratio for death from causes other than hepatocellular carcinoma and liver diseases was also lower among the interferon treated group than that among the untreated, although not significant.


CONCLUSIONS
Interferon treatment is suggested to reduce the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma among patients with type C chronic hepatitis, and not to increase the risk for death from causes other than hepatocellular carcinoma and liver diseases.
Inoue
A
A
Department of Internal Medicine, Osaka Medical Center for Cancer and Cardiovascular Diseases, Japan.
Tsukuma
H
H
Oshima
A
A
Yabuuchi
T
T
Nakao
M
M
Matsunaga
T
T
Kojima
J
J
Tanaka
S
S
D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007372:Interferons / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors
D000998:Antiviral Agents; D007372:Interferons