title: Interferon therapy for 2 years or longer reduces the incidence of hepatocarcinogenesis in patients with chronic hepatitis C viral infection.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this clinical study was to determine the effect of long-term interferon (IFN) administration on the incidence of hepatocellular carcinomas (HCC) in chronic hepatitis C patients, without eradication of hepatitis C virus (HCV) by IFN therapy.
  
  
  METHODS
  The number of patients with biopsy-proven chronic hepatitis with moderate or severe staging, HCV genotype 1b, a high viral load exceeding 1 MEq/ml (mega equivalents per milliliter), who received 6 MU of natural IFN-alpha daily for 2-8 weeks, followed by three times/week for 16-22 weeks, as initial IFN therapy, and positivity for HCV RNA during IFN administration was 131. 47 of the 131 patients continued to be treated with IFN (long-term IFN group, dose 3 or 6 MU twice or three times weekly for 1.5-10.5 years, median 4.0 years) after initial IFN therapy, while 84 patients did not receive any IFN therapy apart from the initial 6-month course (no-add-IFN group). The patients were prospectively monitored, and the cumulative incidence of HCC and risk factors for HCC were examined.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The 5- and 10-year cumulative rates of HCC were 1.9 and 6.4% and 1.9 and 26.8% for long-term IFN and no-add-IFN groups, respectively. Cox regression analysis indicated that the relative risk of HCC in the patients of the no-add-IFN group was 8.72 times of that in patients of the long-term IFN group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Long-term IFN therapy in patients with chronic HCV infection is effective in preventing hepatocarcinogenesis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, Toranomon Hospital, Tokyo, Japan. es9y-ars@asahi-net.or.jp
authors.forename: Yasuji
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Arase
authors.forename: Kenji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ikeda
authors.forename: Akihito
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tsubota
authors.forename: Fumitaka
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: Yoshiyuki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: Satoshi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Saitoh
authors.forename: Masahiro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kobayashi
authors.forename: Norio
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Akuta
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Someya
authors.forename: Tetsuya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hosaka
authors.forename: Hitomi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sezaki
authors.forename: Mariko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kobayashi
authors.forename: Hiromitsu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kumada
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000821:virology; D005260:Female; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000502:physiology; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000821:virology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D013997:Time Factors; D000637:Transaminases / Q000097:blood; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D019562:Viral Load
chemical_list: D016898:Interferon-alpha; D012367:RNA, Viral; D000637:Transaminases