Lessons from Hepatitis C Treatment During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Decreased Resource Utilization Leads to Similar Efficacy in British Columbia, Canada

A retrospective cohort study using nationwide Veterans Affairs healthcare databases examined 220,009 HCV-infected men aged 18-80 years, finding that 8,525 used supplemental testosterone (T). The study observed that supplemental T users had a lower cumulative incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) over time, with a hazard ratio (HR) of 0.82 (p<0.0003) after adjusting for confounders. This risk reduction was comparable to that seen with statin use (HR=0.73, p<0.0001). The findings suggest that concerns about supplemental T therapy increasing HCC risk may be unwarranted, and the potential association with lower HCC risk warrants further investigation.