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The Health Impact of Using Anti-PD-1 Agents to Treat Early-Stage Cancer in Belgium

André Bento-Abreu1, Saar Vandekeere2, Demet Sönmez3

  • 1MSD, Boulevard du Souverain 25, 1170, Brussels, Belgium. andre.bento.abreu@msd.com.

Oncology and Therapy
|July 24, 2025
PubMed
Abstract

Insights

Early-stage cancer treatment with anti-PD-1 agents significantly improves patient outcomes. This approach increases life-years and quality-adjusted life-years while reducing cancer recurrence and deaths in Belgium.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Immunotherapy
  • Health Economics

Background:

  • Anti-PD-1 agents (inhibitors of programmed cell death protein 1) have demonstrated efficacy in improving survival for various cancers.
  • This study focuses on the health impact of anti-PD-1 agents for early-stage disease (ESD) in melanoma, renal cell carcinoma (RCC), and triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC).

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the health impact of using anti-PD-1 agents for early-stage cancer treatment in Belgium.
  • To compare the outcomes of anti-PD-1 treatment for ESD versus treatment only for metastatic disease.

Main Methods:

  • A Markov-based health outcomes model was utilized, comparing two scenarios: anti-PD-1 for metastatic disease only (reference) and anti-PD-1 for ESD (ESD scenario).
  • The model assessed clinical outcomes including life-years (LYs), quality-adjusted LYs (QALYs), recurrences/events, metastatic disease treatments, and total deaths over a 10-year horizon.
  • The target population included Belgian individuals eligible for ESD treatment.

Main Results:

  • Anti-PD-1 therapies for ESD are predicted to increase recurrence/event/disease-free LYs by 13.4%, total LYs by 4.4%, and QALYs by 4.9% over 10 years.
  • ESD treatment with anti-PD-1 agents led to a 24.6% decrease in recurrences/events and a 28.6% decrease in active treatments for metastatic disease.
  • Total deaths were reduced by 23.8% over the 10-year study period in the ESD scenario.

Conclusions:

  • Investing in and utilizing anti-PD-1 agents for early-stage cancers in Belgium is projected to have a substantial positive health impact.
  • This aligns with European goals for high standards in cancer care, as outlined in Europe's Beating Cancer Plan.
Keywords:
Early-stage cancerImmune checkpoint inhibitorsMelanomaNivolumabPembrolizumabRenal cell carcinomaTriple-negative breast cancer

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