Sequences in the interferon sensitivity-determining region and core region of hepatitis C virus impact pretreatment prediction of response to PEG-interferon plus ribavirin: Data mining analysis

✍ Scribed by Masayuki Kurosaki; Naoya Sakamoto; Manabu Iwasaki; Minoru Sakamoto; Yoshiyuki Suzuki; Naoki Hiramatsu; Fuminaka Sugauchi; Akihiro Tamori; Mina Nakagawa; Namiki Izumi

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2011
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 440 KB
• Volume: 83
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0146-6615
• DOI: 10.1002/jmv.22005

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to clarify the significance of viral factors for pretreatment prediction of sustained virological response to pegylated‐interferon (PEG‐IFN) plus ribavirin (RBV) therapy for chronic hepatitis C using data mining analysis. Substitutions in the IFN sensitivity‐determining region (ISDR) and at position 70 of the HCV core region (Core70) were determined in 505 patients with genotype 1b chronic hepatitis C treated with PEG‐IFN plus RBV. Data mining analysis was used to build a predictive model of sustained virological response in patients selected randomly (n = 304). The reproducibility of the model was validated in the remaining 201 patients. Substitutions in ISDR (odds ratio = 9.92, P < 0.0001) and Core70 (odds ratio = 1.92, P = 0.01) predicted sustained virological response independent of other covariates. The decision‐tree model revealed that the rate of sustained virological response was highest (83%) in patients with two or more substitutions in ISDR. The overall rate of sustained virological response was 44% in patients with a low number of substitutions in ISDR (0–1) but was 83% in selected subgroups of younger patients (<60 years), wild‐type sequence at Core70, and higher level of low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL‐C) (≥120 mg/dl). Reproducibility of the model was validated (r^2^ = 0.94, P < 0.001). In conclusion, substitutions in ISDR and Core70 of HCV are significant predictors of response to PEG‐IFN plus RBV therapy. A decision‐tree model that includes these viral factors as predictors could identify patients with a high probability of sustained virological response. J. Med. Virol. 83:445–452, 2011. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.