Real-World Setting Cost-Effectiveness Analysis Comparing Three Therapeutic Schemes of One-Year Adjuvant Trastuzumab in HER2-Positive Early Breast Cancer from the Cyprus NHS Payer Perspective

Introduction: This study is one of the first real-world cost-effectiveness analyses of one-year adjuvant trastuzumab used in HER2-positive early female breast cancer in comparison to chemotherapy alone. It is just the second one in Europe, the first one in Cyprus, and the fourth one worldwide ever carried out using real-world data. Methods: Using a Markov model (four health states), a cost-effectiveness analysis was carried out both over 20 years and for a lifetime horizon. The sampling method used in this study was the randomized sampling of 900 women. Results: The findings for the 20-year horizon showed that all trastuzumab arms were more cost-effective, with a willingness-to-pay threshold of only €60,000 per quality-adjusted life year (QALY) [incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICER): €40,436.10/QALY]. For the lifetime horizon, with thresholds of €20,000, €40,000, and €60,000/QALY, all trastuzumab arms were found to be more cost-effective (ICER: €17,753.85/QALY). Moreover, for the 20-year and the lifetime horizons, with thresholds of €20,000/QALY, €40,000/QALY, and €60,000/QALY, the most cost-effective of the three subgroups (anthracyclines and then trastuzumab, no anthracyclines and then trastuzumab, and anthracyclines, taxanes, and trastuzumab) was that of anthracyclines and then trastuzumab (ICER: €18,301.55/QALY and €8954.97/QALY, respectively). Conclusions: The study revealed that adjuvant trastuzumab for one year in female HER2-positive early breast cancer can be considered cost-effective.

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Trastuzumab As an Adjuvant Therapy for Early Breast Cancer: Economic Evaluation From a Malaysian Perspective

Journal of Global Oncology ◽

10.1200/jgo.18.12800 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 4 (Supplement 2) ◽

pp. 72s-72s

Author(s):

F.K. Hanin ◽

L. Sit Wai ◽

J. Sabirin ◽

W.P. Sharifa Ezat ◽

D. Maznah

Keyword(s):

Breast Cancer ◽

Cost Effectiveness ◽

Early Breast Cancer ◽

Adjuvant Treatment ◽

Cost Effective ◽

Effective Strategy ◽

Her2 Positive ◽

Adjuvant Trastuzumab ◽

Common Cancer ◽

The Cost

Background: In Malaysia, breast cancer is the most common cancer in females and also the first most common cancer among population regardless of gender. The percentage of breast cancer detected at stage I and II was 61%, another 27% with locally advanced cancer and 11% with late stage metastatic cancer. From the total, 28% are human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) positive and access to targeted therapy (trastuzumab) was very limited; only 19% of eligible patients could be treated. Aim: To determine the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) between chemotherapy plus trastuzumab and chemotherapy alone as adjuvant treatment of early breast cancer from Malaysian perspective. Methods: A Markov cohort simulation was developed using Microsoft Excel Workbook 2007 to estimate the cost-utility of adjuvant trastuzumab compared with chemotherapy alone for treatment of early breast cancer with HER2 positive status. Two adjuvant treatment strategies were evaluated: 1) chemotherapy plus trastuzumab and 2) chemotherapy alone as adjuvant treatment. This Markov model was projected to lifetime horizon. All costs and outcomes were discounted at 3% and the cost-effectiveness result was expressed in ICER. One-way sensitivity analysis was performed to address the uncertainty. Results: The base case analysis indicated that 1-year adjuvant trastuzumab treatment generates a deterministic ICER of RM 83,544.59 per QALY gained. Over the lifetime, there is a marginal cost increase of RM 85,659.10 and a marginal benefit of 1.025 QALYs per patient when trastuzumab is added to standard chemotherapy compared with no trastuzumab strategy. Based on one-way sensitivity analysis, these components have shown to be a sensitive parameter for ICER determination: discount rate, disease-free state utility, route of trastuzumab administration and cost of trastuzumab. Conclusion: Addition of 1-year treatment with trastuzumab on top of standard adjuvant chemotherapy is considered as a cost-effective strategy for early breast cancer with HER2 positive, yielding an ICER of RM 83,544.59 per QALY gained, which is within the suggested value of cost-effectiveness threshold by WHO (1-3 times GDP per capita). However, if suggested threshold for Malaysia is taken into consideration, this treatment may not be a cost-effective strategy.

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