| Theme |
An Update on Hepatitis C Treatment |
| Title |
Prevention of Hepatocarcinogenesis with Interferon in Patients with Chronic Hepatitis C or Cirrhosis |
| Author |
Shuhei Nishiguchi |
Department of Hepatology, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka City University |
| Author |
Tadashi Takeda |
Department of Hepatology, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka City University |
| Author |
Susumu Shiomi |
Department of Nuclear Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka City University |
| [ Summary ] |
Chronic hepatitis C may slowly leads to cirrhosis, and eventually the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The annual incidence of HCC is about 7% in patients with HCV-related cirrhosis. Therefore, the effects of interferon (IFN) therapy should be evaluated by the decreased incidence of HCC and by improved survival rates. We first reported that IFN could prevent HCC in patients with HCV-related livercirrhosis and provide improved survival rates. Several larger studies confirmed our report, and revealed that the frequency of HCC in patients receiving IFN therapy has substantially decreased, especially in patients with sustained viral or biochemical responses. We also reported that IFN decreased the rates of tumor recurrence slightly, but prevented the progression of cirrhosis and finally enhanced survival in patients with surgically resected HCC. The more efficient therapies for chronic hepatitis C, such as combination therapy using ribavirin and IFN, or long-term therapy with low-doseage IFN, may provide higher success rates with viral or biochemical responses, leading to an improved prognosis. |