In this study, the incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma/HCC (liver cancer) in C-viral chronic hepatitis (CH) and liver cirrhosis (LC) patients after interferon (IFN) therapy was evaluated according to alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels.

Two hundred sixty-nine patients with C-viral CH and LC were treated with natural IFN-alpha. The efficacy of IFN therapy was evaluated based on virologic response and ALT levels in the following groups: virologic-sustained responders (VSR); biochemical-sustained responders (BSR); partial responders (PR), which consisted of BSR patients whose serum ALT levels later relapsed; non-responders (NR)1, which included patients with serum ALT levels that were usually less than 80 IU/l; and NR2, NR with ALT levels persistently more than 80 IU/l.

Results

Of the 269 patients, 22 (8.2%) developed HCC after IFN therapy. The incidence of HCC (%/patient/year) was 0.78%, 0%, 0%, 0.17%, 4.68% in VSR, BR, PR, NR1, NR2, respectively.

Multivariate analysis revealed that an increase in ALT levels to more than 80 IU/l is an important risk factor for the occurrence of HCC. [emphasis added—Ed].

Conclusions

The authors write, “We concluded that the patients with ALT levels less than twice the upper limit of normal after IFN therapy have a reduced risk of progression to HCC from C-viral chronic liver disease.”

Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Medicine, Nihon University School of Medicine, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo, Japan.

02/16/05

Reference
M Moriyama and others. Decreased risk of hepatocellular carcinoma in patients with chronic hepatitis C whose serum alanine aminotransferase levels became less than twice the upper limit of normal following interferon therapy. Liver International 2005 25(1): 85-90. February 2005.