Successful therapy of hepatitis B e antigen(HBeAg)-positive chronic hepatitis-B patients with interferon alpha leads to HBeAg-seroconversion. The long-term results show that HBeAg-seroconversion is more than a laboratory parameter. In the long run, therapy-induced HBeAg-seroconversion leads to improved survival and a reduced risk for the development of hepatocellular carcinoma. It is striking that cirrhosis was seen twice as often among the responders to interferon therapy as among the non-responders; this could well be an expression of the degree of inflammation in the liver, which is also higher in responders.