title: Efficacy of lamivudine therapy for decompensated liver cirrhosis due to hepatitis B virus with or without hepatocellular carcinoma.
abstract: The prognosis for patients with decompensated hepatitis B virus (HBV) related liver cirrhosis (LC-B), especially for those with LC-B complicated with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), is poor. We investigated the effects of lamivudine in patients with decompensated LC-B, with and without HCC. Decompensated LC-B patients (n=55) with Child-Pugh classification scores (CPS) >7 points were enrolled. All were admitted to the hospitals of the authors between January 1997 and December 2004. Decompensated cases due to a severe exacerbation of hepatitis with CH-B and patients with HCC showing an extra hepatic metastasis or portal vein tumor thrombus were excluded. Some 19 cases (including 5 cases complicated with HCC at the start of therapy) were treated with lamivudine at 100 mg/day (L group), and 36 (including 7 cases with HCC at time of admittance) were treated without lamivudine (non-L group). The median of CPS points in the L group was higher than that of non-L group (11 points versus 9 points, p<0.02). Prothrombin time (%), albumin, ascites, CPS, and HBV-DNA quantity were each significantly improved after 6 months in the L group (p<0.05). A mutation in the YMDD motif was observed in 5 patients in the L group, however liver function did not deteriorate. Further, the survival rate was significantly higher in the L group (p<0.05). HCC was found in 3 L group and 4 non-L group patients during the study. In the L group, all patients complicated with HCC were treated repeatedly or until cured, whereas 91% of those in the non-L group could not be treated (p<0.01). Our results suggest that lamivudine is a useful and important therapy for patients with decompensated LC-B with and without HCC, as well as those who are restricted from having liver transplantation.
authors.affiliation: Third Department of Internal Medicine, Ehime University School of Medicine, Ehime 791-0295, Japan.
authors.forename: Atsushi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hiraoka
authors.forename: Kojiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Michitaka
authors.forename: Teru
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kumagi
authors.forename: Kiyotaka
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kurose
authors.forename: Takahide
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Uehara
authors.forename: Masashi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hirooka
authors.forename: Yoshimasa
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yamashita
authors.forename: Yoshikazu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kubo
authors.forename: Hiroaki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Miyaoka
authors.forename: Hidehito
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Iuchi
authors.forename: Shinichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Okada
authors.forename: Masaki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ohmoto
authors.forename: Kazuhisa
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
authors.forename: Norio
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Horiike
authors.forename: Morikazu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Onji
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000821:virology; D005260:Female; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000821:virology*; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D019259:Lamivudine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000821:virology; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000821:virology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018894:Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015996:Survival Rate; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D018894:Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors; D019259:Lamivudine