A cost-effectiveness analysis of a chemoresponse assay for treatment of patients with recurrent epithelial ovarian cancer.

OBJECTIVE Clinical validation of a chemoresponse assay was recently published, demonstrating a significant increase in overall survival in recurrent ovarian cancer patients treated with therapies to which their tumor was sensitive in the assay. The current study investigates the cost effectiveness of using the assay at the time of ovarian cancer recurrence from the payer's perspective. METHODS Using a Markov state transition model, patient characteristics and survival data from the recent clinical study, the cumulative costs over the study horizon (71 months) for both the baseline (no assay) and intervention (assay consistent, hypothetical) cohorts were evaluated. RESULTS The assay consistent cohort had an incremental cost effectiveness ratio (ICER) of $6206 per life year saved (LYS), as compared to the baseline cohort. Cost-effectiveness was further demonstrated in platinum-sensitive and platinum-resistant populations treated with assay-sensitive therapies, with ICERs of $2773 per LYS and $2736 per LYS, respectively. CONCLUSIONS The use of a chemoresponse assay to inform treatment decisions in recurrent ovarian cancer patients has the potential to be cost-effective in both platinum-sensitive and platinum-resistant patients.