COULD THYMOSTIMULIN PREVENT HEPATOCELLULAR-CARCINOMA OCCURRENCE IN PATIENTS WITH LIVER-CIRRHOSIS

On the basis of a possible pathogenetic role of immunodepression in th e development of hepatocellular carcinoma in patients with chronic hep atitis B/C viral infection and liver cirrhosis, we treated 34 liver ci rrhosis patients (M/F 24/10; age: 14 pts less than or equal to 60 year s, 20>60; Performance status: 22 0-1, 12 2-3; Childs' grade: 21 A, 13 B; ascites yes/not: 4/30) employing thymostimulin (TST), at the dosage of 50 mg/m(2) i.m. 3 times a week, until death or severe toxicity occ urrence. Etiology of cirrhosis was viral in all cases. The patients we re followed up every 3 months by means of clinical examination and bio chemical analyses; every 6 months by checking viral serum markers, alp ha-fetoprotein and by means of ultrasounds. To date, 34 patients have been treated, with a median follow-up of 6 (1-8) years. No occurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma has been observed, with a statistically si gnificant difference between observed and expected HCC (p<0.05). Thymo stimulin treatment was well tolerated. Our data seem to suggest that t he immunomodulating treatment could significantly reduce the risk of H CC occurrence in patients with liver cirrhosis.