Estimation of Health Utility Values for Health States in Head and Neck Cancers Using Real-World Data

Area of Science:

• Health Economics
• Oncology
• Patient-Reported Outcomes

Background:

• Head and neck cancers (HNCs) pose a significant health burden in India.
• Accurate health state utility values are essential for cost-utility analyses and health technology assessments (HTAs).
• Existing utility values may not be contextually relevant for the Indian population.

Purpose of the Study:

• To generate India-specific health state utility values for HNCs.
• To utilize EuroQol 5-Dimension 5-Level (EQ-5D-5L) and EuroQol Visual Analog Scale (EQ-VAS) instruments.
• To enable context-relevant cost-utility analyses and HTAs in India.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study was conducted at a tertiary HNC center in India.
• Adult patients with confirmed HNCs were enrolled across predefined health states.
• Utility scores were derived from EQ-5D-5L (Indian tariff) and EQ-VAS, examining variations across treatment phases, tumor subsites, stage, and comorbidities.

Main Results:

• 753 patients were analyzed across 48 health states.
• Mean EQ-5D-5L utility (0.84) was higher than EQ-VAS (0.73).
• Utilities varied significantly by treatment phase, with active treatment and palliative recurrence showing the lowest perceived health.

Conclusions:

• This study presents the first Indian dataset of real-world health state utility values for HNCs.
• These values are vital inputs for economic evaluations and HTAs in Indian oncology.
• The findings support more accurate, locally relevant healthcare decision-making in resource-limited settings.