Evidence map›Paper›PMID 25583667›Full record

ArticleCMAJ : Canadian Medical Association journal = journal de l'Association medicale canadienne2015

Cost-effectiveness of screening for hepatitis C in Canada.

William W L Wong, Hong-Anh Tu, Jordan J Feld, Tom Wong, Murray Krahn

Open access · goldAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in CMAJ : Canadian Medical Association journal = journal de l'Association medicale canadienne, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 39 papers, 6 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
39citing papers in PubMed, 6 pooled it
5.7field-weighted citation impact, top 3% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

39 citing papers in PubMed, 6 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 76 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Guideline
  3. Pooled it
  4. Recommendations on hepatitis C screening for adults.CMAJ : Canadian Medical Association journal = journal de l'Association medicale canadienne · 2017
    Guideline
  5. Pooled it
  6. Pooled it
  7. Hepatitis C Screening: A Health Technology Assessment.Ontario health technology assessment series · 2026
    Article
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  15. Review
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  20. Optimization of hepatitis C virus screening strategies by birth cohort in Italy.Liver international : official journal of the International Association for the Study of the Liver · 2020
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

William W L WongToronto Health Economics and Technology Assessment Collaborative, Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy (W. Wong, Krahn), and Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (Tu), University of Toronto, Toronto, Ont.; Toronto Centre for Liver Disease, University Health Network (Feld), Toronto, Ont.; Public Health Agency of Canada (T. Wong), Ottawa, Ont. william.wong@theta.utoronto.ca.
Hong-Anh TuToronto Health Economics and Technology Assessment Collaborative, Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy (W. Wong, Krahn), and Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (Tu), University of Toronto, Toronto, Ont.; Toronto Centre for Liver Disease, University Health Network (Feld), Toronto, Ont.; Public Health Agency of Canada (T. Wong), Ottawa, Ont.
Jordan J FeldToronto Health Economics and Technology Assessment Collaborative, Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy (W. Wong, Krahn), and Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (Tu), University of Toronto, Toronto, Ont.; Toronto Centre for Liver Disease, University Health Network (Feld), Toronto, Ont.; Public Health Agency of Canada (T. Wong), Ottawa, Ont.
Tom WongToronto Health Economics and Technology Assessment Collaborative, Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy (W. Wong, Krahn), and Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (Tu), University of Toronto, Toronto, Ont.; Toronto Centre for Liver Disease, University Health Network (Feld), Toronto, Ont.; Public Health Agency of Canada (T. Wong), Ottawa, Ont.
Murray KrahnToronto Health Economics and Technology Assessment Collaborative, Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy (W. Wong, Krahn), and Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (Tu), University of Toronto, Toronto, Ont.; Toronto Centre for Liver Disease, University Health Network (Feld), Toronto, Ont.; Public Health Agency of Canada (T. Wong), Ottawa, Ont.
University Health Network · CA

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe seroprevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection among Canadians is estimated at 0.3% to 0.9%. Of those with chronic HCV infection, 10% to 20% will experience advanced liver disease by 30 years of infection. Targeted screening seems a plausible strategy. We aimed to estimate the health and economic effects of various screening and treatment strategies for chronic HCV infection in Canada.

methodsWe used a state-transition model to examine the cost-effectiveness of 4 screening strategies: no screening; screen and treat with pegylated interferon plus ribavarin; screen and treat with pegylated interferon and ribavarin-based direct-acting antiviral agents; and screen and treat with interferon-free direct-acting antivirals. We considered Canadian residents in 2 age groups: 25-64 and 45-64 years of age. We obtained model data from the literature. We predicted deaths related to chronic HCV infection, costs, quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) and incremental cost-effectiveness ratios.

resultsWe found that screening and treating would prevent at least 9 HCV-related deaths per 10,000 persons screened over the lifetime of the cohort. Screening was associated with QALY increases of 0.0032 to 0.0095 and cost increases of $124 to $338 per person, which translated to an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of $34,359 to $44,034 per QALY gained, relative to no screening, depending on age group screened and antiviral therapy received.

interpretationA selective one-time HCV screening program for people 25-64 or 45-64 years of age in Canada would likely be cost-effective. Identification of silent cases of chronic HCV infection and the offer of treatment when appropriate could extend the lives of Canadians at reasonable cost.

Indexed as

AdultAntiviral AgentsCanadaCost-Benefit AnalysisFemaleHepatitis C, ChronicHumansInterferon-alphaMaleMass ScreeningMiddle AgedQuality-Adjusted Life YearsRibavirinAntiviral AgentsInterferon-alphaRibavirin

Identifiers

PMID25583667
PMCPMC4330166
OpenAlexW2165434183

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.