Cost-Effectiveness of the 21-Gene Assay for Guiding Adjuvant Chemotherapy Decisions in Early Breast Cancer

Jul 1, 2013, 00:00 AM
10.1016/j.jval.2013.03.1625
https://www.valueinhealthjournal.com/article/S1098-3015(13)01698-7/fulltext
Section Title : Economic Evaluation
Section Order : 3
First Page : 729

Objectives

Adjuvant chemotherapy decisions in early breast cancer are complex. The 21-gene assay can potentially aid such decisions, but costs US $4175 per patient. Adjuvant! Online is a freely available decision aid. We evaluate the cost-effectiveness of using the 21-gene assay in conjunction with Adjuvant! Online, and of providing adjuvant chemotherapy conditional upon risk classification.

Methods

A probabilistic Markov decision model simulated risk classification, treatment, and the natural history of breast cancer in a hypothetical cohort of 50-year-old women with lymph node–negative, estrogen receptor– and/or progesterone receptor–positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2/neu–negative early breast cancer. Cost-effectiveness was considered from an Ontario public-payer perspective by deriving the lifetime incremental cost (2012 Canadian dollars) per quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) for each strategy, and the probability each strategy is cost-effective, assuming a willingness-to-pay of $50,000 per QALY.

Results

The 21-gene assay has an incremental cost per QALY in patients at low, intermediate, or high Adjuvant Online! risk of $22,440 (probability cost-effective 78.46%), $2,526 (99.40%), or $1,111 (99.82%), respectively. In patients at low (high) 21-gene assay risk, adjuvant chemotherapy increases (reduces) costs and worsens (improves) health outcomes. For patients at intermediate 21-gene assay risk and low, intermediate, or high Adjuvant! Online risk, chemotherapy has an incremental cost per QALY of $44,088 (50.59%), $1,776 (77.65%), or $1,778 (82.31%), respectively.

Conclusions

The 21-gene assay appears cost-effective, regardless of Adjuvant! Online risk. Adjuvant chemotherapy appears cost-effective for patients at intermediate or high 21-gene assay risk, although this finding is uncertain in patients at intermediate 21-gene assay and low Adjuvant! Online risk.

https://www.valueinhealthjournal.com/action/showCitFormats?pii=S1098-3015(13)01698-7&doi=10.1016/j.jval.2013.03.1625
HEOR Topics :
  • Cost-comparison, Effectiveness, Utility, Benefit Analysis
  • Economic Evaluation
  • Genetic, Regenerative & Curative Therapies
  • Oncology
  • Specialized Treatment Areas
  • Specific Diseases & Conditions
Tags :
  • breast cancer
  • chemotherapy
  • cost-effectiveness analysis
  • decision making
  • pharmacogenetics
Regions :
  • North America