THE COST-EFFECTIVENESS OF LIVER-BIOPSY IN RHEUMATOID-ARTHRITIS PATIENTS TREATED WITH METHOTREXATE

Objective, To assess the cost-effectiveness of liver biopsy in monitoring rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients for methotrexate (MTX)-induced cirrhosis, Methods, A decision analytic model was used to compare a strategy of no biopsy versus strategies of biopsy after 5 years or 10 years of MTX treatment. Results, Biopsy after 5 years of MTX treatment had a cost-effectiveness ratio of $1,891,830 per year of life saved, while biopsy after 10 years of treatment had a cost-effectiveness ratio of $52,374 per year of life saved, Sensitivity analyses revealed that the cost-effectiveness of biopsy was most dependent on the probability of cirrhosis, Conclusion. Liver biopsy to monitor for MTX-induced cirrhosis in RA patients is not cost effective after 5 years of treatment, and even biopsy after 10 years has a high cost.