New initiative to detect and prevent liver cancer in people infected with hepatitis B

General practices across North Brisbane will soon be contacted as part of a new outreach initiative to detect and prevent liver cancer in people infected with hepatitis B.

The new initiative is a partnership between Metro North Public Health Unit, Hepatitis Queensland and the Ethnic Communities Council of Queensland.

GPs who diagnose a patient with hepatitis B will receive an email from the Public Health Unit with important links to clinical resource material as a reminder of the importance of following up all people who return a positive HBV result.

All people with Chronic hepatitis B (CHB) need to receive regular monitoring in the form of:

• liver function tests every six months
• HBV DNA test and liver fibrosis assessment every 12 months
• liver ultrasound every six months (for certain patient groups).

Chronic hepatitis B (CHB) is one of the leading causes of liver cancer in Queensland, and liver cancer is the fastest rising cause of cancer related death in Australia. In Queensland there are over 24,000 people who are not receiving care of any kind for their CHB, including 30 per cent who have not been diagnosed.

The National Viral Hepatitis Mapping Report, produced by the Doherty Institute indicates that for 2020, the percentage of patients in Brisbane North with CHB who are on treatment was only 7.4 per cent, below the national target of 20 per cent by 2022. The percentage of patients with CHB who are in care under a GP was 14.8 per cent for Brisbane North, again lower than the national target of 50 per cent by 2022.

The email that will be sent to relevant practices is a reminder of how important it is to ensure that patients with CHB are kept engaged and monitored.

For more information and support about your role in hepatitis B testing and management visit:

• ASHM website
• B Positive: Hepatitis B for Primary Care.

For information specific to Brisbane North visit the HealthPathways website.

If you have any questions about this initiative contact ECCQ or Hepatitis Queensland.