Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41982889›Full record

ArticleFrontiers in public health2026

Cost-effectiveness analysis of toripalimab plus bevacizumab as first-line therapy for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma.

Chuangao Wu, Tingfang Wei, Xingfa Ye, Zhuqing Dong, Xiulan Chen

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Frontiers in public health, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. 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.

Chuangao WuMindong Hospital Affiliated to Fujian Medical University, Ningde, Fujian, China.
Tingfang WeiMindong Hospital Affiliated to Fujian Medical University, Ningde, Fujian, China.
Xingfa YeMindong Hospital Affiliated to Fujian Medical University, Ningde, Fujian, China.
Zhuqing DongMindong Hospital Affiliated to Fujian Medical University, Ningde, Fujian, China.
Xiulan ChenMindong Hospital Affiliated to Fujian Medical University, Ningde, Fujian, China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: The HEPATORCH trial demonstrated that toripalimab plus bevacizumab (TOR-BEV) offers superior survival outcomes for patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) compared to sorafenib. However, the significantly higher costs of toripalimab and bevacizumab raise concerns about the cost-effectiveness of TOR-BEV. This study evaluates the cost-effectiveness of TOR-BEV as a first-line treatment for advanced HCC within the context of China's healthcare system, relative to sorafenib. Methods: A partitioned survival model with three health states was developed to compare the cost-effectiveness of TOR-BEV and sorafenib as first-line therapies for advanced HCC. Clinical data were sourced from the HEPATORCH trial. Drug costs were based on national tender prices, while other costs and utility parameters were obtained from the literature. The primary outcomes were total costs, quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs), and incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs). Sensitivity analyses were conducted to assess the robustness of the results. Results: The TOR-BEV regimen generated 1.88 QALYs at a cost of $42,239.26, whereas sorafenib resulted in 1.43 QALYs at a cost of $11,201.54. The ICER for TOR-BEV compared to sorafenib was $69,231.90 per QALY gained, exceeding the predefined willingness-to-pay threshold of $40,365 per QALY. The probability of TOR-BEV being deemed cost-effective was only 1.5%. Key factors influencing the model outcomes included the utility value of progression-free survival, weight, the cost of bevacizumab, the utility value of progressive disease, and the cost of toripalimab. Conclusion: From the perspective of the Chinese healthcare system, TOR-BEV is unlikely to be cost-effective as a first-line treatment for advanced HCC compared to sorafenib unless the prices of both toripalimab and bevacizumab are reduced to below 50.1% of their current prices. However, this regimen was cost-effective in the subgroup of patients with an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status score of 1, and economic viability is also expected in highly developed regions such as Beijing.

Indexed as

Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy ProtocolsBevacizumabCarcinoma, HepatocellularLiver NeoplasmsChinaCost-Benefit AnalysisCost-Effectiveness AnalysisFemaleHumansMaleQuality-Adjusted Life YearsSorafenibBevacizumabSorafenibbevacizumabcost-effectivenessfirst-line treatmenthepatocellular carcinomatoripalimab

Identifiers

PMID41982889
PMCPMC13070910

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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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.