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.