Topic Highlight
Copyright ©2014 Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Jul 28, 2014; 20(28): 9245-9252
Published online Jul 28, 2014. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v20.i28.9245
Polymorphisms in the IFNL3/IL28B gene and hepatitis C: From adults to children
Giuseppe Indolfi, Chiara Azzari, Massimo Resti
Giuseppe Indolfi, Massimo Resti, Paediatric and Liver Unit, Meyer Children’s University Hospital of Florence, I-50139 Florence, Italy
Chiara Azzari, Immunology Unit and Laboratory at Meyer Children’s University Hospital of Florence, I-50139 Florence, Italy
Chiara Azzari, Department of Health Sciences, University of Florence, I-50139 Florence, Italy
Author contributions: All of the authors contributed equally to the conception, design and drafting of the article and approved the final version of the work.
Correspondence to: Dr. Giuseppe Indolfi, Paediatric and Liver Unit, Meyer Children’s University Hospital of Florence, Viale Pieraccini 34, I-50139 Firenze, Italy. g.indolfi@meyer.it
Telephone: +39-55-5662410 Fax: +39-55-5662400
Received: October 25, 2013
Revised: February 24, 2014
Accepted: May 23, 2014
Published online: July 28, 2014
Processing time: 284 Days and 14.7 Hours
Core Tip

Core tip: Single nucleotide polymorphisms in the interferon L3 (IFNL3) gene have been associated with both spontaneous and treatment-induced clearance of hepatitis C virus in children. Data from adult studies suggest a role of IFNL3 testing in the decision-making process of whether to treat a patient, the use of two or three drugs and whether the standard duration of treatment or a shorter duration should be proposed. These options are attractive if applicable to children. While waiting for the approval of new interferon-free regimens, paediatric collaborative studies to evaluate the possible role of genetic polymorphisms of IFNL3 as pre-treatment and on-treatment predictors of response, alone or together with other predictors, are highly needed.