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Park, Rim, Yo, Ha, Kim, Lee, Jung, Kwon, Kim, Choi, and Kim: Efficacy of Peginterferon and Ribavirin Combination Therapy of Chronic Hepatitis C: A Pooled Analysis
Original Article
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The Korean Journal of Gastroenterology

The Korean Journal of Gastroenterology 2012; 60(5): 306-314.

Published online: 22 November 2012

DOI: https://doi.org/10.4166/kjg.2012.60.5.306

Efficacy of Peginterferon and Ribavirin Combination Therapy of Chronic Hepatitis C: A Pooled Analysis

Soo Yong Park, Min Young Rim, In Ku Yo, Min Su Ha, Ju Seung Kim, Ji Won Lee, Young Kul Jung, Oh Sang Kwon, Yun Soo Kim, Duck Joo Choi, Ju Hyun Kim

Department of Internal Medicine, Gachon University of Medicine and Science, Incheon, Korea.

Correspondence to: Young Kul Jung, Department of Internal Medicine, Gachon University Gil Hospital, 1198 Guwol-dong, Namdong-gu, Incheon 405-760, Korea. Tel: +82-32-460-3778, Fax: +82-32-460-3426, 93cool@hanmail.net

Received 7 May 2012       Revised 21 August 2012       Accepted 22 August 2012

Copyright © 2012 The Korean Society of Gastroenterology

(open-access):

This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Abstract

Background/Aims

A combination of peginterferon and ribavirin is the standard therapy for chronic hepatitis C (CHC). However, the respective study has not been carried out in a large scale in Korea. The purpose of this study was to collect the studies that have been reported in Korea in order to analyze the therapeutic effect of combination therapy and compare to find racial difference.

Methods

Twenty-eight papers related to the therapeutic effect of combination therapy in CHC patients were analyzed based on pooled analysis.

Results

Based on the analysis for genotype 1 in Korea, early virologic response (EVR), end of treatment response (ETR), and sustained virologic response (SVR) were 79.6% (125/157), 80.1% (166/207), and 62.7% (341/543). The EVR, ETR, and SVR for genotype 2 and 3 were 89.4% (119/133), 92.2% (203/220), and 84.1% (434/516). Data from other Asians showed that EVR and SVR for genotype 1 were 88.9% (290/326) and 64.4% (491/762) respectively and 88.8% (135/152), and 79.4% (151/190) for genotype 2 and 3 respectively. In Western, EVR and SVR for genotype 1 were 51.3% (1,981/3,860) and 42.4% (1,798/4,231) respectively, and for genotype 2 and 3 were 87.7% (350/399) and 77.8% (533/685) respectively. Based on the comparative analysis, no statistical difference in SVR between Koreans and other Asians (p=0.955) was observed; However, the SVR of Koreans was higher with significance than that of Westerns (p<0.001) On the other hand, there was no difference what so ever, in SVR for genotype 2 amongst the different races.

Conclusions

The SVR of combination therapy for the Korean chronic hepatitis C patients was similar to other Asians but higher than Westerns.

Keywords: Hepatitis C, Peginterferon, Ribavirin, Pooled analysis

Figures and Tables

Fig. 1
Flow diagram of enrolled patients. HIV, human immunodeficiency virus; HBV, hepatitis B virus; KT, kidney transplantation; ESRD, end stage renal disease; LC, liver cirrhosis; EVR, early virological response; SVR, sustained virological response.
kjg-60-306-g001
Fig. 2
Virologic response rate according to genotype in Korean with chronic hepatitis C. Early virologic response (EVR) was achieved in 80% of patients and sustained virologic response (SVR) was achieved in 63% of patients with genotype 1. ETR, end of treatment response.
kjg-60-306-g002
Fig. 3
Early virologic response (EVR) and sustained virologic response (SVR) according to the race in genotype 1 hepatitis C virus. EVR and SVR was significantly different between Korean and Caucasian with genotype 1 (80% vs. 51%, p<0.001; 64% vs. 42%, p<0.001). However, EVR and SVR was not significantly different between Korean and Asian with genotype 1 (80% vs. 88%, p=0.249; 64% vs. 63%, p=0.955).
kjg-60-306-g003
Fig. 4
Early virologic response (EVR) and sustained virologic response (SVR) according to the race in genotype non-1 hepatitis C virus. EVR and SVR was not significantly different between Korean and Caucasian with genotype non-1 (90% vs. 88%, p=0.588; 84% vs. 78%, p=0.001).
kjg-60-306-g004
Table 1
Summary of Chronic Hepatitis C with Peginterferon and Ribavirin Treatment Data in Korean during 2006-2011
kjg-60-306-i001

Values are presented as number or number (%).

M, male; F, female; EVR, early virologic response; ETR, end-of-treatment response; SVR, sustained virologic response; NA, not available.

Table 2
Adverse Effects of Peginterferon and Ribavirin during Treatment and Follow-up Period in Korean (N=945)
kjg-60-306-i002

aNeutropenia was defined as an absolute neutrophil count below 750 mm3.

bAnemia was defined as a hemoglobin level below 10 g/dL.

cThrombocytopenia was defined as platelet counts below 50,000 mm3, respectively.

Table 3
Summary of Chronic Hepatitis C with Peginterferon and Ribavirin Treatment Data in Western during 2007-2011
kjg-60-306-i003

Values are presented as number or number (%).

M, male; F, female; EVR, early virologic response; ETR, end-of-treatment response; SVR, sustained virologic response; NA, not available.

Table 4
Summary of Chronic Hepatitis C with Peginterferon and Ribavirin Treatment Data in Asian during 2005-2012
kjg-60-306-i004

Values are presented as number or number (%).

M, male; F, female; EVR, early virologic response; ETR, end-of-treatment response; SVR, sustained virologic response; NA, not available.

Notes

Financial support: None.

Conflict of interest: None.

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