Hepatic Hepatitis C Virus RNA as a Predictor of a Long-Term Response to Interferon-α Therapy

These findings suggest that HCV infection was eradicated in most of the long-term responders to interferon-alpha therapy because HCV RNA could no longer be detected in their serum and liver samples and because a significant improvement gradually occurred in their liver histologic results. The persistent presence of hepatic HCV RNA at the end of therapy was the most important predictor of relapse.