The safety and efficacy of peginterferon plus ribavirin in hepatitis C patients concomitant with malignancy other than hepatocellular carcinoma: a multicenter study
Hepatology International, 08/17/2012
Clinical Article
Huang CF et al. – Chronic hepatitis C patients with non–hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) malignancies receiving peginterferon/ribavirin combination therapy carried favorable efficacy and safety outcomes.
Methods- Twenty–five HCV patients with curative malignancy other than HCC (group A) and 75 sex– and age–matched controls (group B) were recruited into a prospective and case–control analysis.
- All patients received peginterferon–alpha–2a (PegIFN–alpha–2a) and weight–based ribavirin according to the current treatment recommendations.
- The primary outcome measurement was sustained virological response (SVR).
- The safety issue between groups was also compared.
- There were 22 (88.0 %) patients of group A and 59 (78.7 %) patients of group B who achieved an SVR (p=0.39).
- The SVR rate was comparable between groups both in genotype–1 (HCV–1) (81.8 vs. 72.7 %, p=0.70) and in genotype–2 (HCV–2) (92.9 vs. 83.3 %, p=0.66) patients.
- Multivariate logistic regression analysis demonstrated that the achievement of a RVR (viral clearance during first 4 weeks of treatment) was the strongest predictor of an SVR (odds ratio/95 % confidence intervals [OR/CI]: 6.357/1.50 – 26.99, p=0.01), followed by lower baseline viral loads (OR/CI: 0.403/0.174 – 0.936, p=0.034) and higher dose of ribavirin exposure (OR/CI: 1.287/1.092 – 1.517, p=0.003), whilst previous occurrence of cancer was not associated with SVR.
- Treatment adherence (76.0 vs. 72.0 %, p=0.70) and the incidences of grade 3 or more adverse events (28.0 vs. 20.0 %, p=0.40) were comparable between two groups.
