OBJECTIVES: The World Health Organization considers hepatitis C a global burden. CHC is a curable disease since patients achieving SVR can remain virus-free. We evaluated CHC treatment for efficacy (SVR) and long-term effects on reduction of disease progression to advanced stages, improvement in quality of life, and reduction of healthcare costs. The objective was to estimate the burden of disease and impact of SVR in CHC patients on lifetime life-years (LY), QALYs and costs using a Markov model and published literature. METHODS: A systematic literature review identified publications reporting the cost-effectiveness of antiviral therapies in CHC (November 2009). PubMed, CRD and Health Technology Assessment reports were searched. We selected all cost-effectiveness (CE) studies with a similar Markov structure including eight health states (SVR, mild/moderate CHC, compensated and decompensated cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma [HCC], liver transplant and death). CE inputs were used to populate a Markov model to estimate average lifetime benefits and costs associated with SVR and non-SVR. Age of entry in the model was 40 years. Costs were updated to 2008 Great Britain Pounds (GBP). Discount rates for costs and outcomes were 3.5%. RESULTS: 893 unique references were retrieved and 14 articles met the inclusion criteria. Compared to non-SVR patients, the SVR group was consistently associated with more LYs (18.33, range [18.05;18.53] versus 17.49, range [16.17;18.51]) and more QALYs (15.81, range [14.8;17.87] versus 13.25, range [11.9;14.03]). Lifetime costs associated with non-SVR patients (£20,406, range [£7,186;£41,383]) were also consistently higher than with SVR patients (£11,156, range [£5,449;£14,582]). CONCLUSIONS: Using this model, the SVR group was consistently associated with longer life expectancy and more QALYs. Complications avoided by reaching SVR were associated with reduced lifetime CHC costs. It will be important to account for these correlations with lifetime benefits and costs when the values of an antiviral treatment in CHC are evaluated.