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. 2016 May 18;75:10.3402/ijch.v75.31115. doi: 10.3402/ijch.v75.31115

Table III.

Comparing the costs of 2 hypothetical screening scenarios for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) – Alaska, 1983–2012a

Costs/benefits without transportation expensesb Costs/benefits with transportation expensesb


AFP→USc,d US-aloned AFP→USc,d US-aloned
Analysis without discounting
 Total cost for cohort (Base Year 2012) $528,000 $1,203,000 $868,000 $2,517,000
 No. of early-tumours detectede 10 14 10 14
 Median (mean) YLG for Cohort 29.6 (42) 41.4 (58.8) 29.6 (42) 41.4 (58.8)
 Cost/early-stage tumour detected $53,000 $86,000 $87,000 $180,000
 Cost/YLG at median (mean) $18,000
($13,000)
$29,000
($20,000)
$29,000
($21,000)
$61,000
($43,000)
 Incremental cost-effectiveness ratiosf
 Extra cost ($)/extra early-tumour detected $169,000 $412,000
 Extra cost ($)/Extra YLG at Median (Mean) $57,000 ($40,000) $139,000 ($98,000)
Analysis with discountingg
 Total cost for cohort (Base year 2012) $357,000 $814,000 $587,000 $1,702,000
 No. of early-tumours detectede 10 14 10 14
 Median (mean) YLG for Cohort 27.8 (38.1) 38.9 (53.3) 27.8 (38.1) 38.9 (53.3)
 Cost/early-stage tumour detection $36,000 $58,000 $59,000 $122,000
 Cost/YLG at median (mean) $13,000 ($9,400) $21,000 ($15,000) $21,000 ($15,000) $44,000 ($32,000)
 Incremental cost-effectiveness ratiosf
 Extra cost ($)/extra early-tumour detected $114,000 $279,000
 Extra cost ($)/extra YLG at median (mean) $41,000 ($30,000) $100,000 ($73,000)

AFP, alpha-fetoprotein; HCC, hepatocellular carcinoma; US, ultrasound; YLG, years of life gained.

a

In a cohort of 839 hepatitis B virus infected AN men aged ≥40 years and women aged ≥50 years.

b

Total costs rounded to the nearest thousand.

c

Assumes patients received screening for HCC by serum AFP measurements initially and switched to ultrasound for all subsequent screenings if AFP >10 ng/mL.

d

Assumes patients received screening for HCC on dates for which AFP measurements were recorded.

e

Early-tumour if single tumour ≤5 cm in diameter or ≤3 tumours ≤3 cm in diameter; model assumes 33% (4) of tumours identified at a late stage by the AFP→US method were identified by the US-alone method at an early stage.

f

Ratio=(costs US-alone – costs AFP→US)/(outcome US-alone – outcome AFP→US), where outcomes are the number of early-tumours detected or number YLG by early detection. Treatment costs after the detection of tumour (early or late) are not included in these estimates.

g

Discounted direct costs of screening and YLG at 3%/year (reference year 2012) over a 30-year time horizon.