Prediction of relapses after interferon-alpha therapy by hepatitis C virus RNA in peripheral blood mononuclear cells

To investigate the predictive value of hepatitis C virus (HCV)-RNA in peripheral blood mononuclear cells in the response to interferon therapy in patients with chronic hepatitis C, 15 patients with histologically proven chronic active hepatitis and who were positive for serum HCV-RNA were treated with interferon-alpha (6 million units; i.m.) every day for two weeks and then three times a week for 22 weeks. Ten of the 15 patients were responders whose alanine aminotransferase levels decreased to the normal range at the end of interferon therapy. In four of the 10 responders, HCV-RNA was not detected by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction in peripheral blood mononuclear cells nor in serum at the end of treatment. These four patients were complete responders, with alanine aminotransferase levels remaining normal for the next 24 weeks. In five of the 10 responders, HCV-RNA was detected in peripheral blood mononuclear cells but not in serum at the end of treatment. All of these relapsed within the next 24 weeks. In the remaining responder, HCV-RNA was detected both in peripheral blood mononuclear cells and in serum at the end of treatment. This responder also had a relapse within the next 24 weeks. Five of the 15 patients were non-responders, in whom HCV-RNA was detected both in peripheral blood mononuclear cells and in serum. Thus, detection of HCV-RNA in peripheral blood mononuclear cells may be a good clinical marker to predict relapse after interferon treatment.