Case Reports
Copyright ©2005 Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Dec 7, 2005; 11(45): 7218-7221
Published online Dec 7, 2005. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v11.i45.7218
Delayed development of hepatocellular carcinoma during long-term follow-up after eradication of hepatitis C virus by interferon therapy
Yukiko Ito, Natsuyo Yamamoto, Ryo Nakata, Yoshihisa Kato, Masashi Iori, Keisuke Sakai, Tamiko Takemura, Ryosuke Tateishi, Haruhiko Yoshida, Takao Kawabe, Masao Omata
Yukiko Ito, Natsuyo Yamamoto, Ryo Nakata, Yoshihisa Kato, Masashi Iori, Keisuke Sakai, Tamiko Takemura, Ryosuke Tateishi, Haruhiko Yoshida, Takao Kawabe, Masao Omata, Department of Gastroenterology, Department of Pathology, Department of Surgery, Japanese Red Cross Medical Center, Department of Gastroenterology, Department of Endoscopy and Endoscopic Surgery, University of Tokyo, Japan
Author contributions: All authors contributed equally to the work.
Correspondence to: Takao Kawabe, MD, Department of Endoscopy, University of Tokyo, 7-3-1, Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8655, Japan. kawabet-tky@umin.ac.jp
Telephone: +81-3-3815-5411 Fax: +81-3-3814-0021
Received: June 18, 2005
Revised: August 24, 2005
Accepted: August 27, 2005
Published online: December 7, 2005
Abstract

A 42-year-old Japanese man with liver cirrhosis by hepatitis C virus (HCV) had successful interferon therapy in May 1991. Since then, serum HCV-RNA and liver function tests had been negative. He had continued to drink more than 100 g/d of alcohol as before. In June 2003, a 5-cm tumor was found in the posterior segment of the liver. The tumor was curatively resected and the surgical specimen showed a well-differentiated hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Non-cancerous lesions of the liver revealed fibrosis at stage F3 with minimal to mild inflammation of grade A1. Heavy drinking may retard the dissolution of fibrosis and accelerate HCC development in patients with sustained virological response.

Keywords: Hepatocellular carcinoma, Interferon, HCV, Eradication