Sustained virological response to interferon-alpha is associated with improved outcome in HCV-related cirrhosis: a retrospective study

The effect of achieving a sustained virological response (SVR) following interferon-α (IFNα) treatment on the clinical outcomes of patients with HCV-related cirrhosis is unknown. In an attempt to assess the risk of liver-related complications, HCC and liver-related mortality in patients with cirrhosis according to the response to IFNα treatment, a retrospective database was developed including all consecutive patients with HCV-related, histologically proven cirrhosis treated with IFNα monotherapy between January 1992 and December 1997. SVR was an undetectable serum HCV-RNA by PCR 24 weeks after IFNα discontinuation. HCC was assessed by ultrasound every 6 months. Independent predictors of al…

A multicenter Italian Study of rescue adefovir dipivoxil tehrapy in lamivudine resistant patients: a 2-year anlysis of 604 patients.

Lack of correlation between serum anti-HBcore detectability and hepatocellular carcinoma in patients with HCV-related cirrhosis.

A muticenter Italian Study od rescue adefovir dipivoxil therapy in lamivudine resistant patients: a 2 years analysis of 650 pATIENTS.

Adefovir and Lamivudine combination therapy is superior to adefovir monotherapy for lamivudine-resistant patients with HBeAg-negative chronic hepatitis B

Transcatheter arterial chemoembolization therapy for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma: a case-controlled study.

Background & Aims: Transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) currently is used as a palliative treatment for patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but its efficacy still is debated. Our aim was to assess the impact of TACE on patient survival and to identify prognostic factors for survival. Methods: Fifty-six cirrhotic patients with unresectable HCC undergoing at least :1 course of TACE were matched 1:1. for sex, age (in 5-year periods), parameters of Child-Pugh score, Okuda stage, and tumor type with a control group who had received only supportive care. Results: The 2 groups were comparable for cause of cirrhosis, alpha-fetoprotein serum levels, and Cancer of th…

Early discontinuation of Ribavirin in HCV genotype 2 and 3 patients undergoing short-treatment duration with Peg-Interferon alpha 2a and Ribavirin

High risk of hepatocellular carcinoma in anti-HBe positive liver cirrhosis patients developing lamivudine resistance

The emergence of drug-resistant virus in hepatitis B virus patients treated with lamivudine is well documented. However. its clinical impact in the long-term treatment of anti-HBe positive compensated cirrhotic patients is not well known. In this study, we treated 22 consecutive patients with anti-HBe compensated cirrhosis with lamivudine for a median period of 42 months. All patients responded to lamivudine, but viral breakthrough occurred in 13 patients (59%) between 9 and 42 months of therapy due to the emergence of a mutant strain. During the follow-up, 11 developed hepatocellular carcinoma. Of these, 10 occurred soon after the emergence of viral resistance, generally showing aggressive…