[Mechanism and clinical application of carcinogenesis control by IFN].

In Japan, most of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) developed in the patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) related chronic liver disease. In these patients, hepatic cells repeat necrosis and rebirth. As a result, it is considered that persistent inflammation accumulate DNA mutation and finaly develop HCC. In patients infected with HCV, IFN therapy prevents the development of HCC by eradication of HCV. Our findings demonstrated that cell prolificaion was suppressed in proportion to the dose of IFN in human liver cancer cell lines. It is important to establish the clinical marker to assess the carcinogenic potential in each patient. Because it is related to the analysis of carcinogenic control and/or the accurate evaluations of clinical effect by IFN in HCC.