A long-term glycyrrhizin injection therapy reduces hepatocellular carcinogenesis rate in patients with interferon-resistant active chronic hepatitis C: a cohort study of 1249 patients.
To elucidate the influence of a glycyrrhizin therapy on hepatocarcinogenesis rate in interferon (IFN)-resistant hepatitis C, we retrospectively analyzed 1249 patients with chronic hepatitis with or without cirrhosis. Among 346 patients with high alanine transaminase value (twice or more of upper limit of normal), 244 patients received intravenous glycyrrhizin injection and 102 patients did not, after judgment of IFN resistance. Crude carcinogenesis rates in the treated and untreated group were 13.3%, 26.0% at the 5th year, and 21.5% and 35.5% at the 10th year, respectively (P = .0210). Proportional hazard analysis using time-dependent covariates disclosed that glycyrrhizin treatment significantly decreased the hepatocarcinogenesis rate (hazard ratio 0.49, 95% confidence interval 0.27-0.86, P = .014) after adjusting the background features with significant covariates. Glycyrrhizin injection therapy significantly decreased the incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma in patients with IFN-resistant active chronic hepatitis C, whose average aminotransferase value was twice or more of upper limit of normal after interferon.
Ikeda
Kenji
K
Department of Gastroenterology, Toranomon Hospital, Tokyo, Japan. ikedakenji@tora.email.ne.jp
Arase
Yasuji
Y
Kobayashi
Masahiro
M
Saitoh
Satoshi
S
Someya
Takashi
T
Hosaka
Tetsuya
T
Sezaki
Hitomi
H
Akuta
Norio
N
Suzuki
Yoshiyuki
Y
Suzuki
Fumitaka
F
Kumada
Hiromitsu
H
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D004351:Drug Resistance; D005260:Female; D019695:Glycyrrhizic Acid / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007275:Injections, Intravenous; D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008111:Liver Function Tests; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D008134:Long-Term Care; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D011336:Probability; D011379:Prognosis; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D019695:Glycyrrhizic Acid