Systematic Review of Natural History Models in CEAs of Novel Testing Techniques in Cervical Screening: A Brief Summary

Publication date: 
June, 2016
Cancers: 
Related staff: 
Mr Alan Ó Céilleachair (former staff)

This note provides a brief summary of a systematic review to identify natural history models employed in cost-effectiveness analyses of cervical screening that incorporated novel biomarkers beyond the current use of HPV testing. Knowledge of the natural history of disease progression according to biomarker status is important to the construction of any cost-effectiveness analyses of such novel biomarkers in screening. Therefore, the findings of this review were to help inform how current modelling techniques employed by the CERVIVA team could be adapted to assess new screening tests.

The systematic review adapted a search string used in a systematic review of cervical screening CEAs previously published by the CERVIVA group in 2015 [O’Mahony et al 2015]. The search string was updated to include studies published up to June 2016. The string was also adapted to search for particular search terms relating to the novel tests proposed for use in cervical screening. These specific search terms were p16, INK4a, E6, E7, and mRNA. The titles and abstracts found by the updated string were searched for relevant studies.

The search resulted in 879 unique titles and abstracts for review, of which 43 were selected for further detailed review. Of these, there were only two published studies that considered novel testing techniques beyond the current screening technology of cytology or HPV DNA testing. 

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