Acceptance, yield and feasibility of attaching HCV birth cohort screening to colorectal cancer screening in Spain

IntroductionThe US Centers for Disease Control recommends hepatitis C virus (HCV) screening for baby boomers. Spain presents a similar distribution of infected patients. We performed a cross sectional prospective study to evaluate the prevalence of undiagnosed HCV infection in subjects born between 1949 and 1974.MethodsAll out-patients within the age range, both symptomatic and screening procedures, undergoing colonoscopy between December 2014 and June 2015 were offered a HCV antibody blood test and a survey including risk factors for HCV infection and attitude toward HCV screening. Patients with chronic HCV or with a previous negative HCV antibody test were excluded.ResultsA total of 570 subjects, 50% screening procedures, were analyzed. The median age was 55.7, 94.6% were born in Spain and 54.6% were women. Antibodies against HCV were found in 1.6% (95% CI: 0.8-3%) and HCV-RNA in 0.4% (0.1-1.3%). We found no statistically significant differences regarding HCV prevalence, risk factors or socioeconomic characteristics between subjects undergoing colorectal cancer screening and symptomatic subjects.ConclusionSymptomatic and screening subjects undergoing colonoscopy support HCV screening and present a similar HCV risk profile. Results suggest linking colorectal and HCV screening would yield good results.