| Theme | Interferon Therapy for Viral Hepatitis : an Update Reference | |
|---|---|---|
| Title | Prevention of Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) with Anti-inflammatory Agents in Chronic Hepatitis C Patients | |
| Publish Date | 2007/04 | |
| Author | Kazuo Tarao | Kanagawa Cancer Center / Yokohama City University |
| [ Summary ] | We made a prospective effort to maintain average serum ALT levels to below 80 IU in the patients with chronic hepatitis C. These patients were either non-respondant to IFN therapy or were not indicated for IFN therapy, using UDCA, Sho-saiko-to, Juzen-taiho-to or SNMC. Combinations of these drugs were also used. The average observation period was 6.1 years. We succeeded in reducing ALT levels to below 80 IU in 40 (57.1 %) out of 70 patients. In about half of these patients, combination therapy was used to lower ALT levels to below 80 IU. The prevalent combination styles were, UDCA + SNMC, UDCAH + Sho-saiko-to, SNMCH + UDCA + Sho-saiko-to and SNMC + UDCA + Juzen-taiho-to. About half of the effective treatments included herbal medicine. The incidence of HCC (per year) in these patients was 3.6 %, which was about half of the average incidence in Japan. Conclusions: Anti-inflammatory procedures for patients with chronic hepatitis C were useful in preventing the development of HCC. The importance of herbal medicine in these strategies was confirmed. |
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