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A Long-Term Glycyrrhizin Injection Therapy Reduces Hepatocellular Carcinogenesis Rate in Patients with Interferon-Resistant Active Chronic Hepatitis C: A Cohort Study of 1249 Patients

Digestive Diseases and Sciences volume 51, pages 603–609 (2006)Cite this article

Abstract

To elucidate the influence of a glycyrrhizin therapy on hepatocarcinogenesis rate in interferon (IFN)-resistant hepatitis C, we retrospectively analyzed 1249 patients with chronic hepatitis with or without cirrhosis. Among 346 patients with high alanine transaminase value (twice or more of upper limit of normal), 244 patients received intravenous glycyrrhizin injection and 102 patients did not, after judgment of IFN resistance. Crude carcinogenesis rates in the treated and untreated group were 13.3%, 26.0% at the 5th year, and 21.5% and 35.5% at the 10th year, respectively (P = .0210). Proportional hazard analysis using time-dependent covariates disclosed that glycyrrhizin treatment significantly decreased the hepatocarcinogenesis rate (hazard ratio 0.49, 95% confidence interval 0.27–0.86, P = .014) after adjusting the background features with significant covariates. Glycyrrhizin injection therapy significantly decreased the incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma in patients with IFN-resistant active chronic hepatitis C, whose average aminotransferase value was twice or more of upper limit of normal after interferon.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Gastroenterology, Toranomon Hospital, Tokyo, Japan

    Kenji Ikeda MD, Yasuji Arase, Masahiro Kobayashi, Satoshi Saitoh, Takashi Someya, Tetsuya Hosaka, Hitomi Sezaki, Norio Akuta, Yoshiyuki Suzuki, Fumitaka Suzuki & Hiromitsu Kumada

  2. Okinaka Memorial Institute for Medical Research, Tokyo, Japan

    Kenji Ikeda MD, Yasuji Arase, Masahiro Kobayashi, Satoshi Saitoh, Takashi Someya, Tetsuya Hosaka, Hitomi Sezaki, Norio Akuta, Yoshiyuki Suzuki, Fumitaka Suzuki & Hiromitsu Kumada

  3. Department of Gastroenterology, Toranomon Hospital, 2-2-2 Toranomon, Minato-ku, Tokyo, 105-8470, Japan

    Kenji Ikeda MD

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  1. Kenji Ikeda MD
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  2. Yasuji Arase
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  3. Masahiro Kobayashi
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  11. Hiromitsu Kumada
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Correspondence to Kenji Ikeda MD.

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Ikeda, K., Arase, Y., Kobayashi, M. et al. A Long-Term Glycyrrhizin Injection Therapy Reduces Hepatocellular Carcinogenesis Rate in Patients with Interferon-Resistant Active Chronic Hepatitis C: A Cohort Study of 1249 Patients. Dig Dis Sci 51, 603–609 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10620-006-3177-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10620-006-3177-0

Key Words

  • chronic hepatitis
  • hepatitis C virus
  • glycyrrhizin
  • hepatocellular carcinogenesis
  • cancer prevention