Significance of hepatic resection for hepatocellular carcinoma with sustained virological response to interferon therapy for chronic hepatitis C

Keishi Sugimachi; Nao Kinjo; Masahiko Ikebe; Naoki Yamashita; Eiji Kajiwara; Koshi Mimori; Hidefumi Higashi

doi:10.1111/j.1872-034X.2012.01112.x

Significance of hepatic resection for hepatocellular carcinoma with sustained virological response to interferon therapy for chronic hepatitis C

Hepatol Res. 2013 Jun;43(6):605-9. doi: 10.1111/j.1872-034X.2012.01112.x. Epub 2012 Nov 12.

Authors

Keishi Sugimachi¹, Nao Kinjo, Masahiko Ikebe, Naoki Yamashita, Eiji Kajiwara, Koshi Mimori, Hidefumi Higashi

Affiliation

¹ Departments of Surgery, Steel Memorial Yawata Hospital, Kitakyushu, Japan; Department of Surgery, Kyushu University Beppu Hospital, Beppu, Japan.

PMID: 23145902
DOI: 10.1111/j.1872-034X.2012.01112.x

Abstract

Aim: A sustained virological response (SVR) to interferon (IFN) therapy for chronic hepatitis C decreases but does not eliminate the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The significance of hepatectomy for HCC in patients with SVR has not been clarified. The short- and long-term outcomes of hepatectomy for HCC in patients with SVR were studied.

Methods: From 2006-2011, 69 patients with chronic hepatitis C underwent hepatic resection for primary HCC in our hospital. Of these, 12 patients (17.4%) had SVR to IFN therapy at the time of hepatectomy. The clinicopathological factors and long-term outcomes of these patients were retrospectively reviewed and were compared with those of patients without SVR.

Results: The mean time from achievement of SVR to diagnosis of HCC was 62 months (range, 7-174). The histological inflammation of liver parenchyma had improved after IFN therapy in SVR cases. The preoperative serum alanine transaminase, albumin and prothrombin time were significantly preserved in patients with SVR. Intraoperative blood loss and blood transfusion rate were lower, and recurrence-free survival rate was significantly higher, in patients with SVR.

Conclusion: In patients undergoing hepatectomy for HCC, those with SVR had better perioperative safety and a more favorable long-term prognosis than those without SVR.