Sustained Low Alanine Aminotransferase Levels Can Predict the Survival for 10 Years without Hepatocellular Carcinoma Development in Patients with Hepatitis C Virus-Associated Liver Cirrhosis of Child Stage A

An analysis was performed of the patients with hepatitis C virus-associated liver cirrhosis (HCV-LC) who never developed hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) for 10 years after the histological diagnosis of LC. Seventy-four consecutive HCV-LC patients of Child stage A were observed for >10 years prospectively for the development of HCC with frequent ultrasonography and magnetic resonance imaging or computed tomography. Of the 63 patients who fulfilled the study, 48 patients were treated and 15 were nontreated because of their stable state. They were subdivided into three groups according to their serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels: the high ALT group comprised of 23 patients whose annual average serum ALT level was persistently high (≧80 IU); the low ALT group comprised of 28 patients whose annual average serum ALT level was persistently low (