A case of HCC occurred 5 years and 17 years after sustained virological response of interferon therapy for chronic hepatitis C

Abstract

We experienced a patient, 60s old male, who developed hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) 5 years and 17 years after sustained virological response (SVR) of interferon (IFN) therapy for chronic hepatitis C. In 1993, he received IFN therapy and achieved SVR. Before the therapy, his liver histology showed F1A1. In 1998, 5 years after SVR, he was found to have a HCC, 5 cm in diameter, in the segment 3 and received hepatic resection. The HCC was well-to-moderately differentiated, and histology of the back ground liver was F2A1. In 2010, 17 years after SVR, another HCC, 3 cm in diameter, was detected in the segment 7. We treated the lesion by combination of transcatheter chemoembolization and radiofrequency ablation. Once HCC occurs after SVR, the possibility of developing another HCC will increase in spite of receiving radical treatment. Our case indicates the need for long-term surveillance for HCC recurrence after SVR.