Colchicine, an anti-inflammatory drug most often used to treat gout, prevented liver cancer in patients with hepatitis virus-related end-stage liver disease, according to a new study. Published in the October 15, 2006 issue of CANCER (http://www.interscience.wiley.com/cancer-newsroom) , a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, the study found that over three years of follow-up, patients with viral cirrhosis treated with colchicine were significantly less likely to be diagnosed with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) than those who did not receive the treatment, and significantly delayed the onset of HCC in patients who did develop the disease.
