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Updated: Jun 11, 2025
Detection of Cell-Free DNA in Blood Plasma Samples of Cancer Patients
Published on: September 9, 2020
Detection of genomic alterations in liquid biopsies from patients with non-small cell lung cancer using FoundationOne
Dolores Isla1, Rosa Álvarez2, María Arnal3
1Hospital Clínico Universitario Lozano Blesa, IIS Aragón, Zaragoza, Spain.
Objective:
Liquid biopsy (LB) is a non-invasive technique to detect genetic alterations by next-generation sequencing (NGS) when tissue biopsy is not available. This study aims to estimate in the Spanish setting, the cost-effectiveness of using FoundationOne Liquid CDx (F1L CDx), a novel blood-derived LB test based on NGS, versus non-molecular diagnosis (non-mDx) in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in whom tissue sampling is not feasible.
Methods:
A joint model was developed combining a decision-tree with partitioned survival models to calculate the costs and health outcomes over a lifetime horizon, comparing F1L CDx in LB versus non-mDx. Only direct costs (expressed in € of 2023) were included and a 3% discount rate for future costs and effects was considered. Health outcomes were expressed in Life Years (LYs) and Quality-Adjusted Life Years (QALYs). Utilities and treatment efficacy were obtained from the literature. An expert panel of 11 Spanish oncologists determined the treatment allocation and validated all model inputs and assumptions. Several sensitivity analyses were performed to assess the robustness of the results.
Results:
In a hypothetical cohort of 1,000 patients, LB using F1L CDx would detect 386 alterations, so those patients could be treated with targeted therapies or enrolled in clinical trials. Cost-effectiveness results showed that F1L CDx provides greater effectiveness than non-mDx (+383.95 LYs and +305.94 QALYs), with an additional cost of €2,898,308. The incremental cost-utility ratio was €9,473/QALY gained. The probabilistic sensitivity analysis confirmed the robustness of the cost-effectiveness results.
Limitations:
Various limitations inherent to cost-effectiveness analyses were described.
Conclusion:
LB with F1L CDx test is a cost-effective strategy in Spain for patients with advanced NSCLC without tissue sample available for molecular diagnosis, improving the personalized treatment of these patients.
