SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Results of a major health economics study recently published in the Journal of Medical Economics found that use of bioTheranostics’ CancerTYPE ID® molecular test is a cost-effective approach to standardizing diagnostic methods for patients with metastatic tumors of uncertain origin while improving patient care.
The study—the first of its kind to examine the implications of molecular classification in standardizing the diagnostic process for metastatic cancer—was designed to estimate the clinical and economic tradeoffs of using CancerTYPE ID to aid in identifying the primary site of difficult-to-diagnose metastatic cancers and to explore whether the gene assay could be used to standardize the diagnostic process and costs for clinicians, payers, and patients.
Four comprehensive health economic models were developed to project, from the payer perspective, the cost and effectiveness of traditional diagnosis and care for patients with metastatic cancer versus incorporating CancerTYPE ID into standard practice. The models included accounted-for patients with eight common cancers, including breast, colon and rectum, kidney and renal pelvis, liver and intrahepatic bile duct, lung and bronchus, ovarian, pancreatic, and prostate cancer.
Clinical results from the primary model show that CancerTYPE ID increased the proportion of patients with metastatic cancer of unknown origin who were treated correctly (81 percent versus 58 percent), decreased the proportion of patients treated incorrectly (15 percent versus 29 percent) or treated with nonspecific “empiric” therapy (4 percent versus 13 percent), and increased quality-adjusted survival by 1.15 months (10.34 versus 9.20 months). Economic results show that using CancerTYPE ID is cost effective as part of a standardized approach for metastatic cancer diagnosis, with an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of $50,273/quality-adjusted life year. This compares favorably to the societal willingness-to-pay threshold in oncology of at least $100,000/quality-adjusted life year.
The study also showed that when CancerTYPE ID was used earlier in the diagnostic process (before a first set of six immunohistochemical stains), more patients were diagnosed and treated correctly (83 percent versus 63 percent), and life expectancy increased, as did total cost, resulting in an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of $63,972/quality-adjusted life year.
According to the authors, the study results indicate that incorporating CancerTYPE ID into the diagnostic paradigm will standardize the diagnostic process, improve treatment accuracy and clinical outcomes, and optimize resource allocation.
Richard Ding, CEO of bioTheranostics, said the cost-effectiveness analysis is important because it demonstrates to physicians and other decision makers both the health and cost benefits of CancerTYPE ID in the diagnosis and treatment of metastatic cancer. “Physicians are increasingly turning to CancerTYPE ID as a routine part of clinical practice when faced with difficult-to-diagnose metastatic cancers,” Ding said. “This study reinforces that CancerTYPE ID is associated with improved diagnosis and outcomes for metastatic cancer patients, and that it is cost effective—providing clinical benefit at a reasonable cost.”
The cost-effectiveness study was completed by the Partnership for Health Analytic Research, a leading research firm with significant expertise in economic analyses of genomic testing, with funding from bioTheranostics. To access the study, click here.
About bioTheranostics
bioTheranostics, Inc., is the leading solution provider for early stage breast cancer and a broad range of metastatic cancers, leveraging its unique expertise in gene expression profiling to develop a growing array of molecular diagnostic tests for cancer. The company operates a CLIA-certified, CAP-accredited diagnostic laboratory to perform its proprietary tests: the Breast Cancer IndexSM, which quantifies risk of early and late recurrence of estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer, and the bioT3 Metastatic Cancer Solution suite of tests, which includes CancerTYPE ID® and CancerTREATMENT ID. bioTheranostics, a bioMérieux company, is based in San Diego. Learn more at biotheranostics.com.
