Sustained Virological Response in Chronic Hepatitis C Patients after a 6- and a 36-Month Interferon-a2b Treatment Schedule. A Multicenter, Randomized, Controlled Study

References

• Chemello L, Bonetti P, Cavalletto L, Talato F, Donadon V, Casarin P, et al. Randomized trial comparing three different regimens of alpha-2a-interferon in chronic hepatitis C. Hepatology 1995;22:700–6.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Poynard Th, Bedossa P, Chevallier M, Mathurin Ph, Lemonnier C, Trepo Ch, et al. A comparison of three interferon alfa-2b regimens for the long term treatment of chronic non-A, non-B hepatitis. N Engl J Med 1995;332:1457–62.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Lindsay KL, Davis GL, Schiff ER, Bodenheimer HC, Balart LA, Dienstag JL, et al. Response to higher doses of interferon alfa-2b in patients with chronic hepatitis C: a randomized multicentre trial. Hepatology 1996;24:1034–40.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Lin R, Roach E, Zimmerman M, Strasser S, Farrell GC, for the Australia hepatitis C study group. Interferon alfa-2b for chronic hepatitis C: effects of dose increment and duration of treatment on response rates. Results of the first multicentre Australian trial. J Hepatol 1995;23: 487–96.
   Google Scholar
• Lau JYN, Mizokami M, Ohno T, Diamond DA, Kniffen J, Davis GL. Discrepancy between biochemical and virological responses to interferon-alpha in chronic hepatitis C. Lancet 1993;342: 1208–9.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Davis GL, Lau JYN. Choice of appropriate end points of response to interferon therapy in chronic hepatitis C virus infections. J Hepatol 1995;22 Suppl 1:110–4.
   PubMedGoogle Scholar
• Alberti A, Morsica G, Chemello L, Cavalletto D, Noventa F, Pontisso P, et al. Hepatitis C viraemia and liver disease in symptom-free individuals with anti-HCV. Lancet 1992;340: 697–8.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Prieto M, Olaso V, Verdu C, Cordoba J, Gisbert C, Rayon M, et al. Does the healthy hepatitis C virus carrier state really exist? An analysis using polymerase chain reaction. Hepatology 1995;22:413–7.
   PubMedGoogle Scholar
• Naito M, Hayashi N, Hagiwara H, Hiramatsu N, Kasahara A, Fusamoto H, et al. Serum hepatitis C virus RNA quantity and histological features of hepatitis C virus carriers with persistently normal ALT levels. Hepatology 1994;19:871–5.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Dore GJ, Kaldor JM, McCaughan GW. Systematic review of role of polymerase chain reaction in defining infectiousness among people infected with hepatitis C virus. Br Med J 1997; 315:333–7.
   Google Scholar
• Vrielink H, van der Poel CL, Reesink HW, Zaaijer HL, Scholten E, Kremer LCM, et al. Look-back study of infectivity of anti-HCV ELISA-positive blood components. Lancet 1995;345: 95–6.
   PubMedGoogle Scholar
• Brouwer JT, Nevens F, Kleter B, Elewaut A, Adler M, Brenard R, et al. Efficacy of interferon dose and prediction of response in chronic hepatitis C: Benelux study in 336 patients. J Hepatol 1998. In press.
   Google Scholar
• Friedlander L, Van Thiel DH, Faruki H, Molloy PJ, Kania RJ, Hassanein T. New approach to HCV treatment: recognition of disease process as systemic viral infection rather than as liver disease. Dig Dis Sci 1996;41:1678–81.
   PubMedGoogle Scholar
• Hopf U, Berg T, König V, Küther S, Heuft H-G, Lobeck H. Treatment of chronic hepatitis C with interferon alpha: long term follow-up and prognostic relevance of HCV genotypes. J Hepatol 1996;24 Suppl 2:67–73.
   Google Scholar
• Rumi M, Del Ninno E, Parravicini ML, Romeo R, Soffredini R, Donato MF, et al. A prospective, randomized trial comparing lymphoblastoid to recombinant interferon alpha 2a as therapy for chronic hepatitis C. Hepatology 1996;24:1366–70.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Poynard Th, Leroy V, Cohard M, Thevenot Th, Mathurin Ph, Opolon P, et al. Meta-analysis of interferon randomized trials in the treatment of viral hepatitis C: effects of dose and duration. Hepatology 1996;24:778–89.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Bresters D, Mauser-Bunschoten EP, Cuypers HTM, Han JH, Jansen PL, Chamuleau RA, et al. Long term treatment of chronic hepatitis C with interferon alpha-2b: disappearance of HCV-RNA in a pilot study of eight haemophilia patients. Gut 1993;34(2 Suppl):S124–5.
   Google Scholar
• Cuypers HTM, Bresters D, Winkel IN, Reesink HW, Weiner AJ, Houghton M, et al. Storage conditions of blood samples and primer selection affect the yield of cDNA-polymerase chain reaction products of hepatitis C virus. J Clin Microbiol 1992;30: 3220–4.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Damen M, Cuypers HTM, Zaaijer HL, Reesink HW, Schaasberg WP, Gerlich WH, et al. Characterisation of the EUROHEP HCV-RNA plasma standards in a collaborative study. In: Rizzetto M, Purcell R, Gerin J, Verme G, editors. Viral hepatitis and liver disease. Proceedings of the IX Triennial International Symposium on Viral Hepatitis and Liver Disease; 1996; Rome. Turin: Edizioni Minerva Medica; 1997. p. 239–43.
   Google Scholar
• Melsert R, Damen M, Cuypers T, Boele S, van Deursen P, Ehren R, et al. Combined quantitation and genotyping of hepatitis C virus RNA using NASBA. In: Hepatitis C virus: genetic heterogeneity and viral load. GEMHEP. Paris: John Libbey Eurotext; 1997. p. 79–88.
   Google Scholar
• Boom R, Sol C, Salimans M, Jansen C, Wertheim-van Dillen P, van der Noordaa J. A rapid and simple method for purification of nucleic acids. J Clin Microbiol 1991;28:495–503.
   Google Scholar
• Davidson F, Simmonds P, Ferguson JC, Jarvis LM, Dow BC, Follett EAC, et al. Survey of major genotypes and subtypes of hepatitis C virus using RFLP of sequences amplified from the 5” non-coding region. J Gen Virol 1995;76:1197–204.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Toyoda H, Nakano S, Takeda I, Kumada T, Sugiyama K, Osada T, et al. Retreatment of chronic hepatitis C with interferon. Am J Gastroenterol 1994;89:1453–7.
   PubMedGoogle Scholar
• Chow WC, Boyer N, Pouteau M, Castelnau C, Martinout-Peignoux M, Martins-Amado V, et al. Re-treatment with interferon alpha of patients with chronic hepatitis C. Hepatology 1998;27:1144–8.
   Google Scholar
• Rabinovitz M, Block G, Finkelstein SD. Interferon retreatment of patients with chronic hepatitis C. Am J Gastroenterol 1996; 91:1523–6.
   Google Scholar
• Heathcote JL, Keeffe EB, Lee SS, Feinman SV, Tong MJ, Reddy KR, et al, Consensus Interferon Study Group. Retreatment of chronic hepatitis C with consensus interferon. Hepatology 1998;27:1136–43.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Weiland O, Zhang Y-Y, Widell A. Serum HCV-RNA levels in patients with chronic hepatitis C given a second course of interferon alpha-2b treatment after relapse following initial treatment. Scand J Infect Dis 1993;25: 25–30.
   Google Scholar
• Lau JY, Davis GL, Kniffen J, Qian K-P, Urdea MS, Chan CS, et al. Significance of serum hepatitis C virus RNA levels in chronic hepatitis C. Lancet 1993;341:1501–4.
   Google Scholar
• Yun ZB, Reichard O, Chen M, Lundeberg J, Norkrans G, Fryden A, et al. Serum hepatitis C virus RNA levels in chronic hepatitis C—importance for outcome of interferon alfa-2b treatment. Scand J Infect Dis 1994;26:263–70.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Yamada G, Takatani M, Kishi F, Takahashi M, Doi T, Tsuji T, et al. Efficacy of interferon alfa therapy in chronic hepatitis C patients depends primarily on hepatitis C virus RNA level. Hepatology 1995;22:1351–4.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Magrin S, Craxi A, Fabiano C, Marino L, Fiorentino G, Lo Iacono O, et al. HCV viraemia is more important than genotype as a predictor of response to interferon in Sicily (Southern Italy). J Hepatol 1996;25:583–90.
   Google Scholar
• Picciotto A, Campo N, Brizzolara R, Sinelli N, Poggi G, Grasso S, et al. HCV-RNA levels play an important role independently of genotype in predicting response to interferon therapy. Eur J Gastroenterol Hepatol 1997;9:67–9.
   PubMedGoogle Scholar
• Kaneko S, Murakami S, Unoura M, Kobayashi S. Quantitation of hepatitis C virus RNA by competitive polymerase chain reaction. J Med Virol 1992;37:278–82.
   PubMedGoogle Scholar
• Navas S, Carreno V. Semiquantification by AMPLICOR TRADE assay of hepatitis C virus genome during therapy. J Hepatol 1995;22 Suppl 1:115–7.
   PubMedGoogle Scholar
• Kanazawa Y, Hayashi N, Mita E, Li T, Hagiwara H, Kasahara A, et al. Influence of viral quasispecies on effectiveness of interferon therapy in chronic hepatitis C patients. Hepatology 1994;20:1121–30.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Koizumi K, Enomoto N, Kurosaki M, Murakami T, Izumi N, Marumo F, et al. Diversity of quasispecies in various disease stages of chronic hepatitis C virus infection and its significance in interferon treatment. Hepatology 1995;22:30–5.
   PubMedGoogle Scholar
• Shindo M, Hamada K, Koya S, Arai K, Sokawa Y, Okuno T. The clinical significance of changes in genetic heterogeneity of the hypervariable region 1 in chronic hepatitis C with interferon therapy. Hepatology 1996;24:1018–23.
   PubMedGoogle Scholar
• Polyak SJ, Faulkner G, Carithers RL, Corey L, Gretch DR. Assessment of hepatitis C virus quasispecies heterogeneity by gel shift analysis: correlation with response to interferon therapy. J Infect Dis 1997;175:1101–7.
   Google Scholar
• Enomoto N, Sato C, Kurosaki M, Marumo F. Hepatitis C virus after interferon treatment has the variation in the hypervariable region of envelope 2 gene. J Hepatol 1994;20:252–61.
   PubMedGoogle Scholar
• Lu M, Wiese M, Funsch B, Roggendorf M. Different susceptibilities of genetic variants of hepatitis C virus (HCV) to interferon (IFN). Arch Virol 1997;142:581–8.
   PubMedGoogle Scholar
• Hollingsworth RC, Sillekens P, van Deursen P, Neal K, Irving W. Serum HCV RNA levels assessed by quantitative NASBA: stability of viral load over time, and lack of correlation with liver disease. J Hepatol 1996;25:301–6.
   Google Scholar
• Gretch D, Corey L, Wilson J, Dela Rosa C, Willson R, Carithers R, et al. Assessment of hepatitis C virus RNA levels by quantitative competitive RNA polymerase chain reaction: hightitre viremia correlates with advanced stage of disease. J Infect Dis 1994;169:1219–25.
   Google Scholar
• Reichard O, Norkrans G, Fryden A, Braconier J-H, Sonnerborg A, Weiland O. Randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of interferon-2b with and without ribavirin for chronic hepatitis C. Lancet 1998;351: 83–7.
   Google Scholar
• Poynard T, Marcellin P, Lee SS, Niederau C, Minuk GS, Ideo G, et al. Randomised trial of interferon 2b plus ribavirin for 48 weeks or for 24 weeks versus interferon 2b plus placebo for 48 weeks for treatment of chronic infection with hepatitis C virus. Lancet 1998;352:1426–32.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• EASL Consensus Meeting. J Hepatol 1999;30:956–61.
   PubMedGoogle Scholar