Hepatol Res. 2015 Jan;45(2):152-61. doi: 10.1111/hepr.12393. Epub 2014 Oct 14.

Suppression of hepatocellular carcinoma development in hepatitis C patients given interferon-based antiviral therapy.

Hepatology research : the official journal of the Japan Society of Hepatology

Naoki Hiramatsu, Tsugiko Oze, Tetsuo Takehara

PMID: 25052449 DOI: 10.1111/hepr.12393

Abstract

The advance of antiviral treatment for chronic hepatitis C has brought a high sustained virological response (SVR) rate. In this review article, the suppressive effect of interferon (IFN)-based therapy on the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), risk factors for developing HCC and the characteristics of HCC development after SVR among chronic hepatitis C patients given IFN-based therapy were studied. The HCC incidence has been revealed to decrease with IFN-based antiviral therapy, especially in SVR, and the risk factors for developing HCC were older age, advanced liver fibrosis and male sex. α-Fetoprotein levels at 24 weeks after the end of IFN-based treatment was associated strongly with HCC incidence irrespective of virological response. In patients with SVR, other risk factors were glucose metabolism disorders, lipid metabolism disorders and alcohol intake. Extra attention to the possibility of HCC incidence should be required for these SVR patients. Antiviral therapy with a combination of HCV-specific direct-acting antivirals (DAA) is expected to be utilized in the future. However, it is not known whether DAA-based treatment can suppress HCC to the level of IFN-based treatment. Further research is required to clarify this.

© 2014 The Japan Society of Hepatology.

Keywords: hepatocellular carcinoma; interferon therapy; sustained virological response

Publication Types

• Journal Article