Comparison of Interferon‐Based and Interferon‐Free Treatments on the Prognosis of Hepatocellular Carcinoma After Hepatitis C Virus‐Sustained Virological Response: A Multicenter Study

AIM: We examine the impact of interferon (IFN)-based and IFN-free treatment on the prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after hepatitis C virus (HCV) sustained virological response (SVR). METHODS: Clinical information was collected on 311 cases of HCC after HCV-SVR from 16 facilities affiliated with the Kyushu Liver Surgery Study Group. Clinical factors and the tumor microenvironment of HCC after SVR treatment with IFN-based and IFN-free treatments were analyzed. RESULTS: No statistically significant differences were observed in the recurrence rate and overall survival (OS) between the two groups. Propensity score-matched analysis similarly showed no statistically significant differences in recurrence and OS. In the IFN-based treatment group, OS time was significantly shorter for the programmed death-ligand 1(PD-L1)-positive HCC than the PD-L1-negative HCC group (p = 0.0183). No significant difference was observed in the recurrence rate between PD-L1-positive and PD-L1-negative HCC groups. In the IFN-based treatment group, the recurrence rate in the cluster of differentiation (CD) 8-positive group was significantly lower than in the CD8-negative group (p = 0.0292). There was no difference in OS time between the CD8-positive and CD8-negative groups. In the IFN-free treatment group, PD-L1 and CD8 were not associated with recurrence rate or OS. CONCLUSIONS: No statistically significant differences were observed in recurrence or OS rate after HCC resection in the IFN-free treatment group compared with the IFN-based treatment group. In the IFN-based treatment group, PD-L1 and CD8 expression on cancer cells might be prognostic factors.