Repeated exposure to Opisthorchis viverrini and treatment with the antihelminthic Praziquantel lacks carcinogenic potential.

The effects of repeated Praziquantel administration, subsequent to infection and reinfection with Opisthorchis viverrini (OV), on lesion development in the Syrian hamster liver were investigated. Five applications of the antihelminthic drug were made (300 mg/kg body wt, i.g.), each time approximately 5 weeks after dosing with 60-80 OV metacercariae at weeks 0, 8, 16, 24 and 32. The animals were then maintained until week 40 when they were killed; histopathological investigation revealed no significant development of either hepatocellular of cholangiocellular preneoplastic/neoplastic lesions. The results indicate that repeated exposure to Praziquantel at levels sufficient for successful removal of parasite infestation does not itself carry carcinogenic risk.