Health economic assessment for screening of gastric cancer in a high risk population in northeastern china

A Systematic Review of Cost-Effectiveness Studies on Gastric Cancer Screening

Gastric cancer (GC) poses notable economic and health burdens in settings where the incidence of disease is prevalent. Some countries have established early screening and treatment programs to address these challenges. The objectives of this systematic review were to summarize the cost-effectiveness of gastric cancer screening presented in the literature and to identify the critical factors that influence the cost-effectiveness of screening. This systematic review followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Economic evaluation studies of gastric cancer screening were reviewed from SCOPUS and PubMed. The Consolidated Health Economic Evaluation Reporting Standards 2022 (CHEERS 2022) was used to assess the quality of reporting presented in the selected articles. Only primary economic evaluation studies addressing the cost-effectiveness, cost-utility, and cost-benefit of gastric cancer screening were selected. Two reviewers scrutinized the selected articles (title, abstract, and full text) to determine suitability for the systematic review based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. Authors' consensus was relied on where disagreements arose. The main outcome measures of concern in the systematic review were cost, effectiveness (as measured by either quality-adjusted life years (QALY) or life-years saved (LYS)), and incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of screening versus either no screening or an alternative screening method. Thirty-one studies were selected for the final review. These studies investigated the cost-effectiveness of GC screening based on either primary, secondary, or a combination of primary and secondary interventions. The main primary intervention was Helicobacter pylori (Hp) screening with eradication, while the main secondary intervention was endoscopic screening. Cost-effectiveness was evaluated against no screening or screening using an alternative method in both observational and model-based studies. Screening was mainly cost-effective in Asian countries or their diasporas where the prevalence of GC was high. GC screening was generally not cost-effective among Western countries. GC screening can be cost-effective, but cost-effectiveness is dependent on context-specific factors, including geographical location, the prevalence of GC in the local population, and the screening tool adopted. However, there is benefit in targeting high-risk population groups in Asian countries and their diaspora for GC screening.

Characteristics and implications of insurance-reimbursed inpatient care for gastric and oesophageal cancers in Anhui, China

BACKGROUND

This study aimed to identify characteristics and trends in insurance-reimbursed inpatient care (NRIC) for gastric and oesophageal cancers and inform evaluation of medical systems reform.

METHODS

The study extracted routinely collected records of claims for reimbursement from the New Rural Cooperative Medical System (NRCMS) in Anhui Province, China and performed descriptive and regression discontinuity analysis.

RESULTS

From 2013 to 2017, NRIC in terms of person-time per million people (pmp) increased 5.60 and 20.62 times for gastric and oesophageal cancers, respectively. Total expense per episode for gastric and oesophageal cancers increased from 1130.25 and 22 697.99 yuan to 12 514.98 and 24 639.37 yuan, respectively. The ratio of out-of-pocket expenses per inpatient care episode to annual disposable income per capita was 0.43 for gastric cancer and 0.91 for oesophageal cancer and decreased by 0.17 and 0.47, respectively. Regression discontinuity modelling revealed that, when controlled for disposable income, illiteracy rate and months from start time, the treatment variable was significantly associated with person-times of NRIC pmp (β=0.613, p=0.000), length of stay per 105 people (β=-52.990, p=0.000) and total expenses per NRIC episode (β=2.431, p=0.000).

CONCLUSIONS

The study period witnessed substantial achievements in benefits to patients, inpatient care efficiency and equity. These achievements may be attributed mainly to the recent reforms launched in Anhui province, China.

Systematic upper endoscopy concomitant with colonoscopy performed within the colorectal cancer screening program: Impact on the patients' management

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

The French colorectal cancer screening program is based on a fecal immunochemical test, followed by colonoscopy in case of positivity. The benefit of adding a concomitant upper endoscopy to detect upper digestive lesions (precancerous or others) is still debated. Our aim was to evaluate the frequency of upper digestive lesions detected by upper endoscopy performed concomitantly with colonoscopy following a positive fecal immunochemical test, and their impact on the patients' management (i.e., surveillance, medical treatment, endoscopic or surgical procedure).

METHODS

Data of all the patients who consulted for a positive test between May 2016 and May 2019 in our center, and for whom concomitant upper endoscopy and colonoscopy were performed, were analyzed retrospectively. Patients with significant history of upper gastrointestinal diseases or with current gastrointestinal symptoms were excluded.

RESULTS

One hundred patients were included [median age (min-max): 62 (50-75), men 64%]. Macroscopic and/or microscopic upper digestive lesions were found in 58 of them (58%): Helicobacter pylori infection in 17 patients, gastric precancerous lesions in 9 patients (chronic atrophic gastritis with intestinal metaplasia, n=8, low grade dysplasia, n=1), Barrett's esophagus requiring surveillance in 4 patients, and 1 duodenal adenoma with low-grade dysplasia. In 44 patients (44%), the upper endoscopy findings had an impact on patients' management, with no significant difference between the groups with positive (CRC or advanced adenoma)- or negative (any other lesions or normal) colonoscopy.

CONCLUSION

A systematic upper endoscopy combined with colonoscopy for positive fecal immunochemical test could represent an efficient strategy for upper digestive lesions screening in France. Further studies are necessary to confirm these results and to evaluate cost-effectiveness of this approach.

Screening for gastric cancer with magnetically controlled capsule gastroscopy in asymptomatic individuals

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Gastric cancer (GC) is the fourth most common cancer and the fourth leading cause of cancer death worldwide. In some Asian countries, screening EGD has greatly improved the survival rate. However, patients' discomfort and the need for sedation may limit adherence to screening programs. Previous studies have shown good tolerance and good agreement of magnetically controlled capsule gastroscopy (MCCG) with EGD. This study was designed to assess the application of MCCG in GC detection in an asymptomatic population.

METHODS

In this observational cohort study, 3182 asymptomatic individuals undergoing MCCG in 99 participating medical examination centers from April to December 2016 were enrolled. Patients with ulcers and suspected malignancies were referred for gastroscopy and biopsy. The detection rate of GC and focal lesions were used to explore the application of MCCG in asymptomatic individuals.

RESULTS

Seven patients (0.22%) were diagnosed with GC among the enrolled 3182 individuals, accounting for 0.74% (7/948) in patients over 50 years. No gender disparity was observed. EGD and biopsy confirmed adenocarcinoma in all cases of suspected malignancy. Benign polyps, gastric ulcers, and submucosal tumors were found in 10.4%, 4.9%, and 3.6% of patients, respectively. There was a trend for the prevalence of focal lesions to increase with age. MCCG examination proved to be safe.

CONCLUSIONS

MCCG can detect cancer and benign lesions and is safe and clinically feasible in a large population. Studies of its role in a screening program should be considered.

Helicobacter pylori management in ASEAN: The Bangkok consensus report

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection remains to be the major cause of important upper gastrointestinal diseases such as chronic gastritis, peptic ulcer, gastric adenocarcinoma, and mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma. H. pylori management in ASEAN: the Bangkok consensus report gathered key opinion leaders for the region to review and evaluate clinical aspects of H. pylori infection and to develop consensus statements, rationales, and grades of recommendation for the management of H. pylori infection in clinical practice in ASEAN countries. This ASEAN Consensus consisted of 34 international experts from 10 ASEAN countries, Japan, Taiwan, and the United States. The meeting mainly focused on four issues: (i) epidemiology and disease association; (ii) diagnostic tests; (iii) management; and (iv) follow-up after eradication. The final results of each workshop were presented for consensus voting by all participants. Statements, rationale, and recommendations were developed from the available current evidence to help clinicians in the diagnosis and treatment of H. pylori and its clinical diseases.

Endoscopic screening for gastric cancer: A cost-utility analysis for countries with an intermediate gastric cancer risk

Background

Endoscopic screening for gastric cancer is debatable in countries with an intermediate risk.

Objective

The objective of this article is to determine the cost-utility of screening strategies for gastric cancer in a European country.

Methods

We conducted a cost-utility analysis using a Markov model comparing three screening strategies versus no screening: stand-alone upper endoscopy, endoscopy combined with a colorectal cancer screening colonoscopy after a positive faecal occult blood test or pepsinogens serologic screening. Clinical data were collected from systematic reviews, costs from published national data and utilities as quality-adjusted life years (QALY). The primary outcome was the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER). Deterministic and probabilistic sensitivity analyses were performed. The threshold was set at €37,000 (2016 prices).

Results

Upper endoscopy combined with screening colonoscopy (every 10 or 5 years) had an ICER of 15,407/QALY and €30,908/QALY respectively, stand-alone endoscopic screening (every five years) an ICER of €70,693/QALY and pepsinogens screening an ICER of €143,344/QALY. Sensitivity analyses revealed that only endoscopic costs <€75, a provision of only three endoscopies per patient or a gastric cancer risk >25/100,000 would make stand-alone endoscopic screening cost-effective.

Conclusion

Endoscopic gastric cancer screening in Europe can be cost-effective if combined with a screening colonoscopy in countries with a gastric cancer risk ≥10 per 100,000.

Influencing factors of inpatient expenditure pattern for cancer in China, 2015

Objective

We analyzed the proportion of cancer-caused hospitalization expenses in total hospitalization expenses from national authoritative data and explored influencing factors of the proportion so as to provide effective data information for more rational utilization of health resources.

Methods

Two-level lineal regression model was used to explore influencing factors of ratios of the cancer inpatient expenditure over the total inpatient expenditure of hospitals in China in 2015. A total of 40.76 million inpatient medical records were used to generate the outcome variables, while the explanatory variables were from hospital information database and China Health and Family Planning Statistical Yearbook and literatures.

Results

Inpatient expenditure pattern for cancer (IEPC) varied largely across provinces, ranging from 3.03% to 19.61%. The major sources of variability were from the differences of hospital level and number of beds. There was homogeneity within a province, while heterogeneity between the provinces. Rising one level of the hospital led to the increase of 0.475 natural logarithm units of IEPC averagely. The number of beds increasing 1,000 each made the natural logarithm of IEPC increase one unit averagely.

Conclusions

Our study showed that a considerable proportion of IEPC variation could be explained by the differences of hospital level and number of beds. It implied that it is possible to estimate disease-specific ratio of inpatient expense taking into account key influencing factors in China. Furthermore, this study is an input to economic and financial analyses and provides evidence for future study on the national economic burden of cancer.

The Influence of Gastric Cancer Screening on the Stage at Diagnosis and Survival: A Meta-Analysis of Comparative Studies in the Far East

Gastric cancer is the fifth most common cancer and the second most common cause of cancer-related death worldwide. The aim of this review was to evaluate the effect of gastric cancer screening on the stage at diagnosis and survival from disease. A systematic review of the literature between January 1995 and December 2014 was performed. Studies that compared screened versus nonscreened populations for the diagnosis of gastric cancer and included the stage at diagnosis were analyzed. The QUADAS-2 and the ROBANS tools were used to assess the quality of the studies. A total of 11 studies from the Far East comprising 4039 participants in the screened and 6635 in the nonscreened groups were included. Screening was associated with a significant increase in the detection of early gastric cancer (EGC) [pooled odds ratio (POR)=3.90; 95% confidence interval (CI), 3.01-5.06; P<0.0001] and reduction in the incidence of advanced gastric cancer (POR=0.27; 95% CI, 0.20-0.35; P<0.0001). Furthermore, screening improved the 5-year survival significantly (hazard ratio=0.56; 95% CI, 0.48-0.66; P<0.0001). About 73% of the screened patients were found to have EGC compared with 43% of the nonscreened patients. About 8% of the screened patients were found to have advanced gastric cancer compared with 54% of the nonscreened patients. Screening for gastric cancer is useful in detecting asymptomatic patients with EGC in high-prevalence areas. This in turn increases the number of treatable cancers and improves the 5-year survival. There is a need for the development and the validation of alternative risk-stratification tools in low-incidence areas to allow for similar benefits.

Cancer control programs in East Asia: evidence from the international literature

Cancer is a major cause of mortality and morbidity throughout the world, including the countries of North-East and South-East Asia. Assessment of burden through cancer registration, determination of risk and protective factors, early detection and screening, clinical practice, interventions for example in vaccination, tobacco cessation efforts and palliative care all should be included in comprehensive cancer control programs. The degree to which this is possible naturally depends on the resources available at local, national and international levels. The present review concerns elements of cancer control programs established in China, Taiwan, Korea, and Japan in North-East Asia, Viet Nam, Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia as representative larger countries of South-East Asia for comparison, using the published literature as a guide. While major advances have been made, there are still areas which need more attention, especially in South-East Asia, and international cooperation is essential if standard guidelines are to be generated to allow effective cancer control efforts throughout the Far East.

Cancer is a major cause of mortality and morbidity throughout the world, including the countries of North-East and South-East Asia. Assessment of burden through cancer registration, determination of risk and protective factors, early detection and screening, clinical practice, interventions for example in vaccination, tobacco cessation efforts and palliative care all should be included in comprehensive cancer control programs. The degree to which this is possible naturally depends on the resources available at local, national and international levels. The present review concerns elements of cancer control programs established in China, Taiwan, Korea, and Japan in North-East Asia, Viet Nam, Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia as representative larger countries of South-East Asia for comparison, using the published literature as a guide. While major advances have been made, there are still areas which need more attention, especially in South-East Asia, and international cooperation is essential if standard guidelines are to be generated to allow effective cancer control efforts throughout the Far East.

Screening for gastric cancer and surveillance of premalignant lesions: a systematic review of cost-effectiveness studies

BACKGROUND

Cost-effectiveness studies are highly dependent on the models, settings, and variables used and should be based on systematic reviews. We systematically reviewed cost-effectiveness studies that address screening for gastric cancer and/or surveillance of precancerous conditions and lesions.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A systematic review of cost-effectiveness studies was performed by conducting a sensitive search in seven databases (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Current Contents Connect, Centre for Reviews and Dissemination, Academic Search Complete, and CINAHL Plus), independently evaluated by two investigators. Articles were evaluated for type of study, perspective, model, intervention, incremental cost-effectiveness ratio, clinical or cost variables, and quality, according to published guidelines.

RESULTS

From 2395 abstracts, 23 articles were included: 19 concerning population screening and 4 on following up premalignant lesions. Studies on Helicobacter pylori screening concluded that serology was cost-effective, depending on cancer incidence and endoscopy cost (incremental cost-effectiveness ratio: 6264-25,881), and eradication after endoscopic resection was also cost-effective (dominant) based on one study. Studies on imaging screening concluded that endoscopy was more cost-effective than no screening (incremental cost-effectiveness ratio: 3376-26,836). Articles on follow-up of premalignant lesions reported conflicting results (incremental cost-effectiveness ratio: 1868-72,519 for intestinal metaplasia; 18,600-39,800 for dysplasia). Quality assessment revealed a unanimous lack of a detailed systematic review and fulfillment of a median number of 23 items (20-26) of 35 possible ones.

CONCLUSIONS

The available evidence shows that Helicobacter pylori serology or endoscopic population screening is cost-effective, while endoscopic surveillance of premalignant gastric lesions presents conflicting results. Better implementation of published guidelines and accomplishment of systematic detailed reviews are needed.

A survey and evaluation of population-based screening for gastric cancer

Screening and early diagnosis of gastric cancer play important roles in reducing the mortality of gastric cancer. A vast amount of study data on gastric cancer screening and early diagnosis has been accumulated in and out of China in the past decades. The practice of gastric cancer screening has also been efficiently carried out in different countries and regions. However, no widely accepted principle of population screening for gastric cancer has been developed yet. Screening for gastric cancer requires extensive exploration both theoretically and practically. This article focuses on the method and program of gastric cancer screening based on population. Moreover, the current situation of gastric cancer screening and its evaluation are evaluated.