Internal Medicine
Online ISSN : 1349-7235
Print ISSN : 0918-2918
ISSN-L : 0918-2918
ORIGINAL ARTICLES
Clinical Characteristics of Patients who Developed Hepatocellular Carcinoma after Hepatitis C Virus Eradication with Interferon Therapy: Current Status in Japan
Akira SatoMichio SataKenji IkedaTakashi KumadaNamiki IzumiYasuhiro AsahinaYukio OsakiKazuaki ChayamaShuichi KanekoAkito SakaiMorikazu OnjiYoichi HiasaTakumi OmuraItaru OzekiOsamu YokosukaShuichiro ShiinaMariko ItsuboShuhei NishiguchiKatsuharu HiranoTatsuya IdeShotaro SakisakaTakahiro YamasakiIsao HidakaMasatoshi TanakaSoo Ryang KimTakafumi Ichida
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JOURNAL OPEN ACCESS

2013 Volume 52 Issue 24 Pages 2701-2706

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Abstract

Objective We attempted to elucidate the clinical features of chronic hepatitis C patients who develop hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after achieving a sustained viral response (SVR) to interferon (IFN) therapy.
Methods The clinical features of 130 patients at 19 hospitals who developed HCC after obtaining an SVR were retrospectively reviewed.
Results Overall, 107 (82%) of the 130 patients were men, with 92 (71%) being ≥60 years of age and 76, 38 and 16 developing HCC within 5, 5-10 and 10-16.9 years after IFN therapy, respectively. Before receiving IFN therapy, 92 (71%) patients had cirrhosis and/or a low platelet count (<15×104 cells/μL). Lower albumin (<3.9 g/dL) and higher alpha fetoprotein (AFP) (≥10 ng/mL) levels were identified in a multivariate analysis to be independent variables of the development of HCC within five years after IFN therapy. Among 4,542 SVR patients, HCC occurred in 109 (2.4%) during a 5.5-year follow-up period, thus resulting in an occurrence rate of 4.6% for men and 0.6% for women.
Conclusion SVR patients with lower albumin or higher AFP levels require careful assessments to prevent early HCC development after IFN therapy. HCC occurrence within >10 years of IFN therapy is not uncommon, and the risk factors remain uncertain, thus suggesting that all SVR patients should undergo long-term follow-up examinations for HCC development.

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© 2013 by The Japanese Society of Internal Medicine
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