Cost-effectiveness analysis of 3D image-guided brachytherapy compared with 2D brachytherapy in the treatment of locally advanced cervical cancer

PURPOSE: Three-dimensional image-guided brachytherapy (IGBT) is a significant advance in locally advanced cervical cancer treatment. However, its cost-effectiveness (C/E) is unknown. We performed a C/E analysis of IGBT compared with conventional (two-dimensional [2D]) brachytherapy in the treatment of locally advanced cervical cancer. METHODS AND MATERIALS: A Markov model was constructed to model locally advanced cervical cancer treated with five fractions of high-dose-rate brachytherapy. The model captured clinical parameters, quality of life utility, and treatment costs through the literature review. Costs were 2013 Medicare reimbursement. Strategies were compared using the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER), and effectiveness was measured in quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs). To account for uncertainty, one-way, two-way, and probabilistic sensitivity analyses were performed. Strategies were evaluated from a payer's perspective with a willingness-to-pay threshold of $50,000/QALY gained. RESULTS: Treatment costs for five fractions of IGBT and 2D brachytherapy were $21,374 and $17,931, respectively. In the base-case analysis, the IGBT strategy costs $3003 more than 2D brachytherapy while gaining 0.16 QALYs, resulting in an ICER of $18,634 per QALY gained. In one-way sensitivity analyses, results were most sensitive to variation of treatment costs, but the ICER remained <$50,000/QALY gained for all cost ranges. Variation of survival, local control, and complication rates was less influential. A probabilistic sensitivity analysis demonstrated that IGBT was favored in 63% of model iterations at a $50,000/QALY gained threshold. CONCLUSION: IGBT for locally advanced cervical cancer is a C/E option compared with 2D brachytherapy. These findings were robust to variation of parameter values supporting the routine use of IGBT in locally advanced cervical cancer. (C) 2015 American Brachytherapy Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.