Introduction: The aim of this study is to evaluate the cost-effectiveness and impact of gene-expression assays (GEAs) on treatment decisions in a real-world setting of early-stage breast cancer (ESBC) patients.
Methods: This is a regional, prospective study promoted by the Council Health Authorities in Madrid. Enrolment was offered to women with estrogen receptor-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative, node-negative or micrometastatic, stage I or II breast cancer from 21 hospitals in Madrid. Treatment recommendations were recorded before and after knowledge of tests results. An economic model compared the cost-effectiveness of treatment, guided by GEAs or by common prognostic factors.
Results: 907 tests (440 Oncotype DX® and 467 MammaPrint®) were performed between February 2012 and November 2014. Treatment recommendation changed in 42.6% of patients. The shift was predominantly from chemohormonal (CHT) to hormonal therapy (HT) alone, in 30.5% of patients. GEAs increased patients' confidence in treatment decision making. Tumor grade, progesterone receptor positivity and Ki67 expression were associated with the likelihood of change from CHT to HT (P < 0.001) and from HT to CHT (P < 0.001). Compared with current clinical practice genomic testing increased quality-adjusted life years by 0.00787 per patient and was cost-saving from a national health care system (by 13.867€ per patient) and from a societal perspective (by 32.678€ per patient).
Conclusion: Using GEAs to guide adjuvant therapy in ESBC is cost-effective in Spain and has a significant impact on treatment decisions.
Keywords: Breast cancer; Cost analysis; Gene-expression profiling; Quality-adjusted life years.