title: Sustained low alanine aminotransferase levels can predict the survival for 10 years without hepatocellular carcinoma development in patients with hepatitis C virus-associated liver cirrhosis of child stage A.
abstract: An analysis was performed of the patients with hepatitis C virus-associated liver cirrhosis (HCV-LC) who never developed hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) for 10 years after the histological diagnosis of LC. Seventy-four consecutive HCV-LC patients of Child stage A were observed for >10 years prospectively for the development of HCC with frequent ultrasonography and magnetic resonance imaging or computed tomography. Of the 63 patients who fulfilled the study, 48 patients were treated and 15 were nontreated because of their stable state. They were subdivided into three groups according to their serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels: the high ALT group comprised of 23 patients whose annual average serum ALT level was persistently high (>/=80 IU); the low ALT group comprised of 28 patients whose annual average serum ALT level was persistently low (<80 IU), and the unclassified ALT group comprised of 12 patients. In the low ALT group, as high as 71.4% of patients had never developed HCC for 10 years, in contrast to only 17.4% in the high ALT group (p < 0.001). In the 30 patients who never developed HCC for 10 years, 20 patients belonged to the low ALT group, in contrast to only 4 belonging to the high ALT group. Sustained low ALT levels were important to survive for 10 years without developing HCC in the HCV-LC patients of Child stage A.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, Kanagawa Cancer Center, Yokohama, Japan. s-ohk@hi-ho.ne.jp
authors.forename: Kazuo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tarao
authors.forename: Yasushi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Rino
authors.forename: Shinichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ohkawa
authors.forename: Osamu
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Endo
authors.forename: Kaoru
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Miyakawa
authors.forename: Setsuo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tamai
authors.forename: Satoru
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hirokawa
authors.forename: Takahiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Masaki
authors.forename: Tadashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nagaoka
authors.forename: Naoyuki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Okamoto
authors.forename: Katsuaki
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.forename: Norio
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Tarao
mesh_terms: D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000097:blood*; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005260:Female; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications*; D006801:Humans; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications*; D008297:Male; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D015996:Survival Rate
chemical_list: D000410:Alanine Transaminase