Cost-effectiveness of lung cancer screening in a high-risk population in Brazil

Keywords

lung cancer - high risk - screening - cost effectiveness

Objectives: Establish whether CP screening for computed tomography every 2 years is cost-effective in a high-risk population in the perspective of the Brazilian public health scenario.

Methods: For the quantification of the tracked population: smokers and ex-smokers 20 packs/year, aged between 50 and 80 years, it has been used information provided by the IBGE 2020 Demographic Census (Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística) and Vigitel 2023 (Sistema de Vigilância de Fatores de Risco e Proteção para Doenças Crônicas por Inquérito Telefônico). Additionally, a non-tracked comparative population was outlined from the FOSP database (Fundação Oncocentro de São Paulo). To define the patient's journey and direct and indirect costs, DATASUS (Departamento de Informática so SUS) bases and information from an expert's panel to validate assumptions were used. For economic evaluations the models of Markov were used, considering the costs of treatment and outcomes.

Results: Based on cost- effectiveness analysis (CEA) it was possible to demonstrate that the adoption of a lung cancer (LC) screening strategy with low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) in a previously defined high-risk populations (age between 50 and 80 years and current smokers and former smokers with a smooth load of 20 packs-year) was cost-effective with positive QALY results.

Conclusions: This study confirmed the premise that the implementation of LC tracking protocol in high-risk populations is cost-effective as early diagnosis and treatment provide medical and social benefits, balancing health costs, higher standards of Overall Survival (OS) and Disease Free Progression (DFP) as well as the possibility of social and family reintegration of the patients, maintaining their productivity.

Corresponding author: Tamie de Camargo Martins (e-mail: [e-mail]).