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

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 fill-lit 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 groupwere 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 back-round features with significant covariates. Glycyrrhizin injection therapy significantly decreased the incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma in patients with IFNresistant active chronic hepatitis C, whose average aminotransferase value was twice or more of Lipper limit of normal after interferon.