title: Clinical characteristics of patients who developed hepatocellular carcinoma after hepatitis C virus eradication with interferon therapy: current status in Japan.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We attempted to elucidate the clinical features of chronic hepatitis C patients who develop hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after achieving a sustained viral response (SVR) to interferon (IFN) therapy.
  
  
  METHODS
  The clinical features of 130 patients at 19 hospitals who developed HCC after obtaining an SVR were retrospectively reviewed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Overall, 107 (82%) of the 130 patients were men, with 92 (71%) being ≥60 years of age and 76, 38 and 16 developing HCC within 5, 5-10 and 10-16.9 years after IFN therapy, respectively. Before receiving IFN therapy, 92 (71%) patients had cirrhosis and/or a low platelet count (<15×10(4) cells/μL). Lower albumin (<3.9 g/dL) and higher alpha fetoprotein (AFP) (≥10 ng/mL) levels were identified in a multivariate analysis to be independent variables of the development of HCC within five years after IFN therapy. Among 4,542 SVR patients, HCC occurred in 109 (2.4%) during a 5.5-year follow-up period, thus resulting in an occurrence rate of 4.6% for men and 0.6% for women.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  SVR patients with lower albumin or higher AFP levels require careful assessments to prevent early HCC development after IFN therapy. HCC occurrence within >10 years of IFN therapy is not uncommon, and the risk factors remain uncertain, thus suggesting that all SVR patients should undergo long-term follow-up examinations for HCC development.
authors: Department of Gastroenterology, St. Marianna University School of Medicine, Yokohama Seibu Hospital, Japan.
authors: Akira
authors: A
authors: Sato
authors: Michio
authors: M
authors: Sata
authors: Kenji
authors: K
authors: Ikeda
authors: Takashi
authors: T
authors: Kumada
authors: Namiki
authors: N
authors: Izumi
authors: Yasuhiro
authors: Y
authors: Asahina
authors: Yukio
authors: Y
authors: Osaki
authors: Kazuaki
authors: K
authors: Chayama
authors: Shuichi
authors: S
authors: Kaneko
authors: Akito
authors: A
authors: Sakai
authors: Morikazu
authors: M
authors: Onji
authors: Yoichi
authors: Y
authors: Hiasa
authors: Takumi
authors: T
authors: Omura
authors: Itaru
authors: I
authors: Ozeki
authors: Osamu
authors: O
authors: Yokosuka
authors: Shuichiro
authors: S
authors: Shiina
authors: Mariko
authors: M
authors: Itsubo
authors: Shuhei
authors: S
authors: Nishiguchi
authors: Katsuharu
authors: K
authors: Hirano
authors: Tatsuya
authors: T
authors: Ide
authors: Shotaro
authors: S
authors: Sakisaka
authors: Takahiro
authors: T
authors: Yamasaki
authors: Isao
authors: I
authors: Hidaka
authors: Masatoshi
authors: M
authors: Tanaka
authors: Soo Ryang
authors: SR
authors: Kim
authors: Takafumi
authors: T
authors: Ichida
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007372:Interferons / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D019562:Viral Load / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents; D007372:Interferons