Cost effectiveness of Gene Expression Profiling in Patients with Early-Stage Breast Cancer in a Middle-Income...

Breast cancer is a heterogenous disease, and genetic profiling helps to individualize adjuvant treatment. The Oncotype DX is a validated test to predict benefit of adjuvant systemic treatment. The aims of this study are to determine the costs of chemotherapy in government hospitals in Turkey and evaluate the cost-effectiveness of the Oncotype DX from the national insurance perspective.

A Markov model was developed to make long term projections of distant recurrence, survival, quality adjusted life expectancy, and direct costs for patients with ER+, HER2-, node-negative or up to 3 node-positive early stage breast cancer. Turkish decision impact study patient data were captured for model reference. In that study, ten academic centers across Turkey participated in a prospective trial. Of 165 patients with pT1-3, pN0-N1mic, ER-positive, and HER-2 negative tumors, 57% had low recurrence score (RS), 35% had intermediate RS, and 8% had high RS, respectively. The overall rate of change in chemotherapy treatment decisions following Oncotype DX was 33%.

The cost of adjuvant chemotherapy in public hospitals was estimated at $3.649, and Oncotype Dx test was $5.141. Based on the cost-effectiveness analysis, Oncotype DX testing was estimated to improve life expectancy (+0.86 years) and quality-adjusted life expectancy (+0.68 QALYs) versus standard care. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICERs) of Oncotype DX was estimated to be $7207.9 per QALY gained and $5720.6 per LY gained versus current clinical practice.

As Oncotype DX was found both cost-effective and life-saving from a national perspective, the test should be introduced to standard care in patients with ER+, HER-2 negative early-stage breast cancer in Turkey.