Relation between HCV-RNA Level in Liver Tissue and the Response to Interferon Therapy in Patients with Chronic Hepatitis C

Liver tissue and serum samples were obtained from 23 patients with chronic hepatitis C, and HCV-RNA levels of those samples were quantitated using RT-competitive PCR assay. We investigated the correlations between the hepatic HCV-RNA level, HCV genotype, and the effects of interferon (IFN) therapy. Complete responders (CR), in whom HCV-RNA was cleared from serum more than six months after the end of IFN treatment, numbered 11 cases (47.8%). Non responders (NR), in whom serum HCV-RNA was detected after treatment numbered 12 cases (52.2%). Before IFN treatment, there was a strong correlation between hepatic and serum HCV-RNA levels (r=0.72, p