Clearance of hepatitis C virus after living-donor liver transplantation in spite of residual viremia on end date of interferon therapy before transplantation.
Interferon (IFN) therapy is the only treatment strategy for hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection after liver transplantation (LT), but prophylactic and treatable IFN therapy after LT has been shown to be insufficient due to the adverse effects of IFN and rivabirin. In this paper, we describe the disappearance of HCV after LT without IFN therapy in the presence of residual viremia on the day of LT. We herein report our findings since this is considered an important case for the anti-HCV strategy of post LT. A 60-year old woman with LC and HCC was referred to Nagasaki University Hospital in August 2004. After she underwent LT on February 18, 2005, we injected peg-IFN-alpha-2a the 11th time at 18 wk and HCV-RNA was still positive in the serum at LT. The serum HCV-RNA was negative one month after operation and subsequently dissolved 15 mo after operation without IFN therapy. As a result, we speculate that if HCV-RNA is positive while HCV core antigen is negative before LT, then it may lead to clearance of HCV after LT. Therefore long acting peg-IFN-alpha-2a is thus considered a potentially effective agent for the treatment of HCV-related cirrhosis before LT.
Ichikawa
Tatsuki
T
The First Department of Internal Medicine, Graduate School of Biomedical Science, Nagasaki University, 1-7-1 Sakamoto, Nagasaki 852-8501, Japan. ichikawa@net.nagasaki-u.ac.jp
Nakao
Kazuhiko
K
Hamasaki
Keisuke
K
Honda
Takuya
T
Shibata
Hidetaka
H
Akahoshi
Mana
M
Eguchi
Susumu
S
Takatsuki
Mitsuhisa
M
Kanematsu
Takashi
T
Eguchi
Katsumi
K
D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000601:surgery; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery; D016031:Liver Transplantation; D019520:Living Donors; D008875:Middle Aged; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000097:blood; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D014766:Viremia / Q000188:drug therapy*
D000998:Antiviral Agents; D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha; D012367:RNA, Viral; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols; C100416:peginterferon alfa-2a
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