title: Prevention by Lamivudine of hepatocellular carcinoma in patients infected with hepatitis B virus.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study evaluated the prevention by lamivudine of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in chronic hepatitis B patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Lamivudine therapy was administered to 879 of the 2,511 patients who satisfied our analysis inclusion criteria. A Cox regression model revealed that four factors increased the prevalence of HCC: gender (females; OR=0.53, p=0.006), age (>/=40 years; OR=4.64, p<0.001), platelet count (>/=100x10(3)/mm(3); OR=0.35, p<0.001), and alcohol consumption (>/=80 g/day; OR=1.79, p=0.004). Five hundred and eighty-nine patients in the lamivudine-treated group and 589 patients in the control group were selected for a matched case-control study. The mean follow-up periods were 2.8 and 5.1 years in the lamivudine-treated and control groups, respectively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  HCC occurred in 10 patients (1.7%) of the lamivudine group, with an incidence rate of 0.61% patients/year, and in 65 patients (11.0%) of the control group, with an incidence rate of 2.16% patients/year. The cumulative incidence of HCC was lower in the lamivudine group than in the control group (p=0.0117, log-rank test).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Lamivudine can reduce the incidence of HCC in patients suffering from chronic hepatitis B.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Yeungnam University College of Medicine, Daegu, Korea.
authors.forename: Heon Ju
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Ryul
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Eun
authors.forename: Byung Ik
authors.initials: BI
authors.lastname: Jang
authors.forename: Tae Nyeun
authors.initials: TN
authors.lastname: Kim