Influence of Previous Interferon Therapy on Recurrence after Resection of Hepatitis C Virus-related Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Interferon (IFN) therapy decreases the incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV). One hundred and fifty-nine consecutive patients who underwent liver resection for HCV-related HCC were studied. In 17 (group 1) of the 159 patients, HCC was detected during or after IFN therapy. The incidences of recurrence after surgery in the group 1 patients and the other 142 patients (group 2) were compared. Eight patients had a complete response to IFN, 4 had a partial response, and 5 had no response. The proportion of patients without HCV viremia was significantly higher in the group 1 patients (P<0.0001). The tumor-free survival rate was significantly higher in the group 1 patients (P=0.0010). By multivariate analysis of various risk factors for recurrence, no previous IFN was a significant independent risk factor for recurrence (risk ratio=6.336; 95% CI, 1.512-26.50). The patients with HCC who underwent IFN therapy previously are good candidates for liver resection because recurrence after the operation was rarely observed.