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The efficacy of interferon (IFN) for reducing risk for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is controversial. To address this issue, investigators conducted a meta-analysis of 32 studies that evaluated the use of IFN in this setting. The primary outcome in each study was occurrence of HCC at the last follow-up evaluation.
In 20 studies that compared cirrhotic HCV patients treated with IFN (with or without ribavirin) versus untreated patients, pooled data showed that treated patients had lower risk for HCC (risk ratio, 0.43; 95% confidence interval, 0.33–0.56). However, the data were heterogeneous; metaregression analysis revealed that studies with follow-up duration of >5 years contributed to the …