Effectiveness of HCC surveillance programs using multitarget blood test: A modeling study.

BACKGROUND: The effectiveness of ultrasound-based surveillance for HCC in patients with cirrhosis is limited by suboptimal sensitivity for early tumor detection and poor adherence. Emerging blood-based biomarkers have been proposed as an alternative surveillance strategy. We aimed to evaluate the comparative effectiveness of a multitarget HCC blood test (mt-HBT)-with and without improved adherence-against ultrasound-based HCC surveillance. METHODS: We developed a Markov-based mathematical model that simulated a virtual trial in patients with compensated cirrhosis comparing potential surveillance strategies: biannual surveillance using ultrasound, ultrasound plus AFP, and mt-HBT with or without improved adherence (+10% increase). We used published data to inform underlying liver disease progression rates, HCC tumor growth patterns, performance characteristics of surveillance modalities, and efficacy of treatments. Primary outcomes of interest were the number of early-stage HCCs detected and life years gained. RESULTS: Per 100,000 patients with cirrhosis, mt-HBT detected 1680 more early-stage HCCs than ultrasound alone and 350 more early-stage HCCs than ultrasound + AFP, yielding an additional 5720 and 1000 life years, respectively. mt-HBT with improved adherence detected 2200 more early-stage HCCs than ultrasound and 880 more early-stage HCCs than ultrasound + AFP, yielding an additional 8140 and 3420 life years, respectively. The number of screening tests needed to detect one HCC case was 139 with ultrasound, 122 with ultrasound + AFP, 119 with mt-HBT, and 124 with mt-HBT with improved adherence. CONCLUSIONS: mt-HBT is a promising alternative to ultrasound-based HCC surveillance, particularly given anticipated improved adherence with blood-based biomarkers could increase HCC surveillance effectiveness.

Analysis of a Simulation Model to Estimate Long-term Outcomes in Patients with Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease.

Importance: Quantitative assessment of disease progression in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has not been systematically examined using competing liver-related and non-liver-related mortality. Objective: To estimate long-term outcomes in NAFLD, accounting for competing liver-related and non-liver-related mortality associated with the different fibrosis stages of NAFLD using a simulated patient population. Design, Setting, and Participants: This decision analytical modeling study used individual-level state-transition simulation analysis and was conducted from September 1, 2017, to September 1, 2021. A publicly available interactive tool, dubbed NAFLD Simulator, was developed that simulates the natural history of NAFLD by age and fibrosis stage at the time of (hypothetical) diagnosis defined by liver biopsy. Model health states were defined by fibrosis states F0 to F4, decompensated cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and liver transplant. Simulated patients could experience nonalcoholic steatohepatitis resolution, and their fibrosis stage could progress or regress. Transition probabilities between states were estimated from the literature as well as calibration, and the model reproduced the outcomes of a large observational study. Exposure: Simulated natural history of NAFLD. Main Outcomes and Measures: Main outcomes were life expectancy; all cause, liver-related, and non-liver-related mortality; and cumulative incidence of decompensated cirrhosis and/or HCC. Results: The model included 1 000 000 simulated patients with a mean (range) age of 49 (18-75) years at baseline, including 66% women. The life expectancy of patients aged 49 years was 25.3 (95% CI, 20.1-29.8) years for those with F0, 25.1 (95% CI, 20.1-29.4) years for those with F1, 23.6 (95% CI, 18.3-28.2) years for those with F2, 21.1 (95% CI, 15.6-26.3) years for those with F3, and 13.8 (95% CI, 10.3-17.6) years for those with F4 at the time of diagnosis. The estimated 10-year liver-related mortality was 0.1% (95% uncertainty interval [UI], <0.1%-0.2%) in F0, 0.2% (95% UI, 0.1%-0.4%) in F1, 1.0% (95% UI, 0.6%-1.7%) in F2, 4.0% (95% UI, 2.5%-5.9%) in F3, and 29.3% (95% UI, 21.8%-35.9%) in F4. The corresponding 10-year non-liver-related mortality was 1.8% (95% UI, 0.6%-5.0%) in F0, 2.4% (95% UI, 0.8%-6.3%) in F1, 5.2% (95% UI, 2.0%-11.9%) in F2, 9.7% (95% UI, 4.3%-18.1%) in F3, and 15.6% (95% UI, 10.1%-21.7%) in F4. Among patients aged 65 years, estimated 10-year non-liver-related mortality was higher than liver-related mortality in all fibrosis stages (eg, F2: 16.7% vs 0.8%; F3: 28.8% vs 3.0%; F4: 40.8% vs 21.9%). Conclusions and Relevance: This decision analytic model study simulated stage-specific long-term outcomes, including liver- and non-liver-related mortality in patients with NAFLD. Depending on age and fibrosis stage, non-liver-related mortality was higher than liver-related mortality in patients with NAFLD. By translating surrogate markers into clinical outcomes, the NAFLD Simulator could be used as an educational tool among patients and clinicians to increase awareness of the health consequences of NAFLD.

Improved Health Outcomes from Hepatitis C Treatment Scale-Up in Spain's Prisons: A Cost-Effectiveness Study.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is 15 times more prevalent among persons in Spain's prisons than in the community. Recently, Spain initiated a pilot program, JAILFREE-C, to treat HCV in prisons using direct-acting antivirals (DAAs). Our aim was to identify a cost-effective strategy to scale-up HCV treatment in all prisons. Using a validated agent-based model, we simulated the HCV landscape in Spain's prisons considering disease transmission, screening, treatment, and prison-community dynamics. Costs and disease outcomes under status quo were compared with strategies to scale-up treatment in prisons considering prioritization (HCV fibrosis stage vs. HCV prevalence of prisons), treatment capacity (2,000/year vs. unlimited) and treatment initiation based on sentence lengths (>6 months vs. any). Scaling-up treatment by treating all incarcerated persons irrespective of their sentence length provided maximum health benefits-preventing 10,200 new cases of HCV, and 8,300 HCV-related deaths between 2019-2050; 90% deaths prevented would have occurred in the community. Compared with status quo, this strategy increased quality-adjusted life year (QALYs) by 69,700 and costs by €670 million, yielding an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of €9,600/QALY. Scaling-up HCV treatment with DAAs for the entire Spanish prison population, irrespective of sentence length, is cost-effective and would reduce HCV burden.

Model to Calculate Harms and Benefits of Early vs Delayed Liver Transplantation for Patients With Alcohol-Associated Hepatitis.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Early liver transplantation (without requiring a minimum period of sobriety) for severe alcohol-associated hepatitis (AH) is controversial: many centers delay eligibility until a specific period of sobriety (such as 6 months) has been achieved. To inform ongoing debate and policy, we modeled long-term outcomes of early vs delayed liver transplantation for patients with AH. METHODS: We developed a mathematical model to simulate early vs delayed liver transplantation for patients with severe AH and different amounts of alcohol use after transplantation: abstinence, slip (alcohol use followed by sobriety), or sustained use. Mortality of patients before transplantation was determined by joint-effect model (based on Model for End-Stage Liver Disease [MELD] and Lille scores). We estimated life expectancies of patients receiving early vs delayed transplantation (6-month wait before placement on the waitlist) and life years lost attributable to alcohol use after receiving the liver transplant. RESULTS: Patients offered early liver transplantation were estimated to have an average life expectancy of 6.55 life years, compared with an average life expectancy of 1.46 life years for patients offered delayed liver transplantation (4.49-fold increase). The net increase in life expectancy from offering early transplantation was highest for patients with Lille scores of 0.50-0.82 and MELD scores of 32 or more. Patients who were offered early transplantation and had no alcohol use afterward were predicted to survive 10.85 years compared with 3.62 years for patients with sustained alcohol use after transplantation (7.23 life years lost). Compared with delayed transplantation, early liver transplantation increased survival times in all simulated scenarios and combinations of Lille and MELD scores. CONCLUSIONS: In a modeling study of assumed carefully selected patients with AH, early vs delayed liver transplantation (6 months of abstinence from alcohol before transplantation) increased survival times of patients, regardless of estimated risk of sustained alcohol use after transplantation. These findings support early liver transplantation for patients with severe AH. The net increase in life expectancy was maintained in all simulated extreme scenarios but should be confirmed in prospective studies. Sustained alcohol use after transplantation significantly reduced but did not eliminate the benefits of early transplantation. Strategies are needed to prevent and treat posttransplantation use of alcohol.

Cost-effectiveness Analysis of Bariatric Surgery for Patients With Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis Cirrhosis.

Importance: Obesity is the most common risk factor for nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), the progressive form of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease that can lead to cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Weight loss can be an effective treatment for obesity and may slow the progression of advanced liver disease. Objective: To assess the cost-effectiveness of bariatric surgery in patients with NASH and compensated cirrhosis. Design, Setting, and Participants: This economic evaluation study used a Markov-based state-transition model to simulate the benefits and risks of laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (SG), laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (GB), and intensive lifestyle intervention (ILI) compared with usual care in patients with NASH and compensated cirrhosis and varying baseline weight (overweight, mild obesity, moderate obesity, and severe obesity). Patients faced varied risks of perioperative mortality and complications depending on the type of surgery they underwent. Data were collected on March 22, 2017. Main Outcomes and Measures: Life-years, quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs), costs (in 2017 $US), and incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) were calculated. Results: Demographic characteristics of the patient population were based on a previously published prospective study (n = 161). Patients in the model were 41.0% female, and the base case age was 54 years. Compared with usual care, SG was associated with an increase in QALYs of 0.263 to 1.180 (bounds of ranges represent overweight to severe obesity); GB, 0.263 to 1.207; and ILI, 0.004 to 0.216. Sleeve gastrectomy was also associated with an increase in life-years of 0.693 to 1.930; GB, 0.694 to 1.947; and ILI, 0.012 to 0.114. With usual care, expected life-years in overweight, mild obesity, moderate obesity, and severe obesity were 12.939, 11.949, 10.976, and 10.095, respectively. With usual care, QALY in overweight was 6.418; mild obesity, 5.790; moderate obesity, 5.186; and severe obesity, 4.577. Sleeve gastrectomy was the most cost-effective option for patients across all weight classes assessed: ICER for SG in patients with overweight was $66 119 per QALY; mild obesity, $18 716 per QALY; moderate obesity, $10 274 per QALY; and severe obesity, $6563 per QALY. A threshold analysis on the procedure cost of GB found that for GB to be cost-effective, the cost of the surgery must be decreased from its baseline value of $28 734 by $4889 for mild obesity, by $3189 for moderate obesity, and by $2289 for severe obesity. In overweight patients, GB involved fewer QALYs than SG, and thus decreasing the cost of surgery would not result in cost-effectiveness. Conclusions and Relevance: Bariatric surgery could be highly cost-effective in patients with NASH compensated cirrhosis and obesity or overweight. The findings from this analysis suggest that it can inform clinical trials evaluating the effect of bariatric procedures in patients with NASH cirrhosis, including those with a lower body mass index.

Cost Effectiveness of Transplanting HCV-Infected Livers Into Uninfected Recipients With Preemptive Antiviral Therapy.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Guidelines do not recommend transplanting hepatitis C virus (HCV)-infected livers into HCV-uninfected recipients. Direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) can be used to treat donor-derived HCV infection. However, the added cost of DAA therapy is a barrier. We evaluated the cost effectiveness of transplanting HCV-positive livers into HCV-negative patients with preemptive DAA therapy. METHODS: A previously validated Markov-based mathematical model was adapted to simulate a virtual trial of HCV-negative patients on the liver transplant waitlist. The model compared long-term clinical and economic outcomes in patients willing to accept only HCV-negative livers vs those willing to accept any liver (HCV negative or HCV positive). Recipients of HCV-positive livers received 12 weeks of preemptive DAA therapy. The model incorporated data from the United Network for Organ Sharing and published sources. RESULTS: For patients with a model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) score ≥ 22, accepting any liver vs waiting for only HCV-negative livers was cost effective, with incremental cost-effectiveness ratios ranging from $56,100 to $91,700/quality-adjusted life-year. For patients with a MELD score of 28 (the median MELD score of patients undergoing transplantation in the United States), accepting any liver was cost effective at an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of $62,600/quality-adjusted life year. In patients with low MELD scores, which may not accurately reflect disease severity, accepting any liver was cost effective, irrespective of MELD score. CONCLUSIONS: Using a Markov-based mathematical model, we found transplanting HCV-positive livers into HCV-negative patients with preemptive DAA therapy to be a cost-effective strategy that could improve health outcomes.

Cost Effectiveness of Pre- vs Post-Liver Transplant Hepatitis C Treatment With Direct-Acting Antivirals.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Oral direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) for hepatitis C virus (HCV) treatment offer new hope to both pre- and post-liver transplant (LT) patients. However, whether to treat HCV patients before vs after LT is not clear because treatment can improve liver function but could reduce the chance of receiving an LT while on the waiting list. Our objective was to evaluate the cost effectiveness of pre-LT vs post-LT HCV treatment with oral DAAs in decompensated cirrhotic patients on the LT waiting list. METHODS: We used a validated mathematical model that simulated a virtual trial comparing long-term clinical and cost outcomes of pre-LT vs post-LT HCV treatment with oral DAAs. Model parameters were estimated from United Network for Organ Sharing data, SOLAR-1 and 2 trials, and published studies. For each strategy, we estimated the quality-adjusted life-year, life expectancy, cost, and the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio. RESULTS: For lower MELD scores, quality-adjusted life-years were higher with pre-LT HCV treatment compared with post-LT treatment. Pre-LT HCV treatment was cost saving in patients with MELD scores of 15 or less, and cost effective in patients with MELD scores of 16 to 21. In contrast, post-LT HCV treatment was cost effective in patients with MELD scores of 22 to 29 and cost saving if MELD scores were 30 or higher. Results varied by drug prices and by United Network for Organ Sharing regions. CONCLUSIONS: For cirrhotic patients awaiting LT, pre-LT HCV treatment with DAAs is cost effective/saving in patients with MELD scores of 21 or lower, whereas post-LT HCV treatment is cost effective/saving in patients with MELD scores of 22 or higher.

Transplanting hepatitis C virus-positive livers into hepatitis C virus-negative patients with preemptive antiviral treatment: A modeling study.

Under current guidelines, hepatitis C virus (HCV)-positive livers are not transplanted into HCV-negative recipients because of adverse posttransplant outcomes associated with allograft HCV infection. However, HCV can now be cured post-LT (liver transplant) using direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) with >90% success; therefore, HCV-negative patients on the LT waiting list may benefit from accepting HCV-positive organs with preemptive treatment. Our objective was to evaluate whether and in which HCV-negative patients the potential benefit of accepting an HCV-positive (i.e., viremic) organ outweighed the risks associated with HCV allograft infection. We developed a Markov-based mathematical model that simulated a virtual trial of HCV-negative patients on the LT waiting list to compare long-term outcomes in patients: (1) willing to accept any (HCV-negative or HCV-positive) liver versus (2) those willing to accept only HCV-negative livers. Patients receiving HCV-positive livers were treated preemptively with 12 weeks of DAA therapy and had a higher risk of graft failure than those receiving HCV-negative livers. The model incorporated data from published studies and the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS). We found that accepting any liver regardless of HCV status versus accepting only HCV-negative livers resulted in an increase in life expectancy when Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) was ≥20, and the benefit was highest at MELD 28 (0.172 additional life-years). The magnitude of clinical benefit was greater in UNOS regions with higher HCV-positive donor organ rates, that is, Regions 1, 2, 3, 10, and 11. Sensitivity analysis demonstrated that model outcomes were robust. CONCLUSION: Transplanting HCV-positive livers into HCV-negative patients with preemptive DAA therapy could improve patient survival on the LT waiting list. Our analysis can help inform clinical trials and minimize patient harm. (Hepatology 2018;67:2085-2095).

Optimal timing of hepatitis C treatment for patients on the liver transplant waiting list.

The availability of oral direct-acting antivirals has altered the hepatitis C virus (HCV) treatment paradigm for both pre-liver transplant (LT) and post-LT patients. There is a perceived trade-off between pre-LT versus post-LT treatment of HCV-treatment may improve liver function but potentially decrease the likelihood of a necessary LT. Our objective was to identify LT-eligible patients with decompensated cirrhosis who would benefit (and not benefit) from pre-LT treatment based on their Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) scores. We simulated a virtual trial comparing long-term outcomes of pre-LT versus post-LT HCV treatment with oral direct-acting antivirals for patients with MELD scores between 10 and 40. We developed a Markov-based microsimulation model, which simulated the life course of patients on the transplant waiting list and after LT. Simulation of LT integrated data from recent trials of oral direct-acting antivirals (SOLAR 1 and 2), the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), and other studies. The outcomes of the model included life expectancy, 1-year and 5-year patient survival, and mortality. Model-predicted patient survival was validated with UNOS data. We found that, at the national level, treating HCV before LT increased life expectancy if MELD was ≤27 but could decrease life expectancy at higher MELD scores. Depending on the UNOS region, the threshold MELD score to treat HCV pre-LT varied between 23 and 27 and was lower for UNOS regions 3, 10, and 11 and higher for regions 1, 2, 4, 5, 8, and 9. Sensitivity analysis showed that the thresholds were stable. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that the optimal MELD threshold below which decompensated cirrhosis patients should receive HCV treatment while awaiting LT is between 23 and 27, depending on the UNOS region. (Hepatology 2017;65:777-788).

Long-term clinical impact and cost-effectiveness of obeticholic acid for the treatment of primary biliary cholangitis.

Primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) is a chronic, progressive autoimmune liver disease that mainly affects middle-aged women. Obeticholic acid (OCA), which was recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration for PBC treatment, has demonstrated positive effects on biochemical markers of liver function. Our objective was to evaluate the long-term clinical impact and cost-effectiveness of OCA as a second-line treatment for PBC in combination with ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) in adults with an inadequate response to UDCA. We developed a mathematical model to simulate the lifetime course of PBC patients treated with OCA+UDCA versus UDCA alone. Efficacy data were derived from the phase 3 PBC OCA International Study of Efficacy trial, and the natural history of PBC was informed by published clinical studies. Model outcomes were validated using the PBC Global Study. We found that in comparison with UDCA, OCA+UDCA could decrease the 15-year cumulative incidences of decompensated cirrhosis from 12.2% to 4.5%, hepatocellular carcinoma from 9.1% to 4.0%, liver transplants from 4.5% to 1.2%, and liver-related deaths from 16.2% to 5.7% and increase 15-year transplant-free survival from 61.1% to 72.9%. The lifetime cost of PBC treatment would increase from $63,000 to $902,000 (1,330% increment). The discounted quality-adjusted life years with UDCA and OCA+UDCA were 10.74 and 11.78, respectively, and the corresponding costs were $142,300 and $633,900, resulting in an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of $473,400/quality-adjusted life year gained. The results were most sensitive to the cost of OCA. CONCLUSION: OCA is a promising new therapy to substantially improve the long-term outcomes of PBC patients, but at its current annual price of $69,350, it is not cost-effective using a willingness-to-pay threshold of $100,000/quality-adjusted life year; pricing below $18,450/year is needed to make OCA cost-effective. (Hepatology 2017;65:920-928).