Cost-effectiveness analysis of laparoscopic disease assessment in ovarian cancer.

Abstract

5556 Background: Laparoscopic assessment of disease resectability can be useful for treatment planning for patients [pts] with advanced ovarian cancer [OC] but may be associated with added cost. Methods: We performed a cost-effectiveness analysis from a payer perspective to compare (1) a conventional strategy, where standard new pt evaluation was used to assign pts to either primary cytoreduction [PCS] or neoadjuvant chemotherapy with interval cytoreduction [NACT], and (2) an alternative approach, where pts considered candidates for PCS would undergo laparoscopy to evaluate disease resectability using a validated scoring system, who were then triaged to either PCS or NACT based on this evaluation. Diagnostic work-up, surgical and adjuvant treatment, perioperative complications, and progression-free survival [PFS] were included in the model. We derived model parameters from the literature and our institution’s experience with laparoscopic triage. Utility estimates for health states related to primary treatment were assessed prospectively and taken from the literature. Costs were estimated using Medicare reimbursement. Effectiveness was defined in quality-adjusted progression-free life years [QPFLYs]. We performed multiple sensitivity analyses. Results: Under baseline model parameters, the expected cost of treating one pt under the conventional and alternative strategies was $26,539 and $26,653, respectively. The expected quality-adjusted progression-free survival for pts in the conventional and alternative strategies was 0.70 and 0.94 QPFLYs, respectively. The calculated incremental cost-effectiveness was $473.97 per QPFLY saved. The alternative strategy became cost saving if pts found to have resectable disease by laparoscopy underwent cytoreduction during the same procedure. The conventional strategy may be preferred if PCS increased PFS over NACT by ≥5 months. Conclusions: For newly-diagnosed advanced stage OC pts, laparoscopic assessment of disease resectability prior to PCS was a cost-effective strategy. A conventional strategy may be preferred if PCS produced substantially longer PFS. Sensitivity analysis suggests the benefit of utilizing laparoscopic triage is influenced by mitigation of serious perioperative morbidity and associated costs.