| Theme | Interferon Therapy for Viral Hepatitis : an Update Handbook | |
|---|---|---|
| Title | Can IFN Improve the Prognosis of the Patients with HCV-related Cirrhosis? | |
| Publish Date | 2000/10 | |
| Author | Shuhei Nishiguchi | Department of Hepatology, Osaka City University, Medical School |
| Author | Tadashi Takeda | Department of Hepatology, Osaka City University, Medical School |
| Author | Susumu Shiomi | Department of Hepatology, Osaka City University, Medical School |
| [ Summary ] | Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common neoplasms worldwide, and usually develops in patients with cirrhosis. Interferon(IFN) is the only therapeutic agent useful for the elimination of HCV RNA in patients with chronic hepatitis C or cirrhosis, but the rate of complete viral eradication is not satisfactory. The effects of IFN on chronic hepatitis and cirrhosis can also be evaluated in terms of progression of cirrhosis, detection of HCC, and mortality. In ourstudy, 90 patients with HCV-related cirrhosis were randomly assigned symptomatic treatment or IFN-alpha. As a result, IFN was shown to prevent the worsening of compensated cirrhosis, the development of HCC, and increase the survival rate. For a final assessment of the efficacy and safety of IFN on patients with cirrhosis, a large multi-centric study is recommended. | |