A female patient developing hepatocellular carcinoma 4.5 years after sustained virological response to interferon therapy for chronic hepatitis C: Comparison with cases of male patients

Abstract

We report on a female case who developed hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) 4.5 years after sustained virological response (SVR) to interferon (IFN) therapy for chronic hepatitis C. A 69-year-old Japanese woman achieved SVR to IFN-β therapy for chronic hepatitis C of histological stage F3/A2. 4.5 years later, HCC of 2.3 cm in diameter was found and she received liver resection. The histological examination of the resected specimen showed a moderately differentiated HCC with surrounding non-cancerous tissues of improved fibrosis and inflammation (F2/A1). Hepatitis B virus was suspected to be related to carcinogenesis. HCC developing after SVR to IFN therapy for chronic hepatitis C are reportedly common in male patients, but rare in female patients.