Interferon Prevents Liver Cirrhosis and Cancer in Patients with Chronic Hepatitis B

Though best known as a component of therapy for chronic hepatitis C, interferon alfa and pegylated interferon are also approved for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B. However, long-term outcomes of interferon therapy in hepatitis B "e" antigen (HBeAg) positive patients remain unknown.

As reported in the October 20, 2006 online edition of the Journal of Hepatology, researchers from Taiwan conducted a study to compare long-term outcomes in 233 interferon-treated patients and 233 well-matched untreated controls.

Results

Patients were followed for a median 6.8 years (range 1.1-16.5 years).

At the end of follow-up, outcomes in the interferon-treated patients and untreated controls were as follows:
- HBeAg seroconversion: 74.6% vs 51.7% (P = 0.031);
- hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) clearance: 3% vs 0.4% (P = 0.03);
- liver cirrhosis: 17.8% vs 33.7% (P = 0.041);
- hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC): 2.7% vs 12.5% (P = 0.011).

Significant reduction in HCC was observed only in patients with pre-existing cirrhosis (P < 0.01).

Compared to untreated controls with persistent HBeAg, both treated and untreated HBeAg seroconverters had a significantly lower incidence of cirrhosis and HCC (P = 0.003-0.031).

Interferon-treated patients who did not experience seroconversion still had a marginally significantly lower incidence of cirrhosis (P = 0.065).

Conclusion

In a multivariate analysis, the researchers found that interferon therapy, HBeAg seroconversion, and infection with genotype B HBV were independent predictors of better long-term outcomes. They concluded that, "Interferon therapy reduces cirrhosis and HCC development."

12/01/06

Reference
S M Lin, M L Yu, C M Lee, and others. Interferon therapy in HBeAg positive chronic hepatitis reduces cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Journal of Hepatology. October 20, 2006 [Epub ahead of print].