Health technology assessment : HTA
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Health Technol Assess · Sep 2004
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical TrialEvaluation of abnormal uterine bleeding: comparison of three outpatient procedures within cohorts defined by age and menopausal status.
To compare three outpatient methods of endometrial evaluation in terms of performance, patient acceptability and cost-effectiveness. ⋯ Decision-making about investigation would be clarified if postmenopausal women were studied separately from premenopausal women with menstrual bleeding problems. For postmenopausal women exclusion of cancer is a main objective, so once investigation has been completed discharge follows, but in the woman with abnormal menstrual bleeding, even if serious pathology is excluded, the original presenting symptoms require management. About 60% of premenopausal women with abnormal bleeding reported that their symptoms were not 'much improved' at 10 months. Research is needed to understand this phenomenon, and to explore ways to integrate patient factors into optimising evaluation and treatment. The significance of benign pathologies in this group also requires clarification. Given the relatively small differences observed in cost-effectiveness, there is justification for allowing other issues (such as clinician preferences and women's perspectives) to influence decisions as to the investigation method. There is scope to make better use of patient factors to inform decisions as to the most efficient and acceptable method of investigation for an individual woman. Additional analyses, using data available as a result of this study, will contribute to this agenda.
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Health Technol Assess · Sep 2004
ReviewRituximab (MabThera) for aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma: systematic review and economic evaluation.
To determine the clinical and cost-effectiveness of adding rituximab to the CHOP (cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, prednisolone) chemotherapy regime for adult patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). ⋯ In the short term, the addition of rituximab to the CHOP regimen increased the likelihood of a complete-response by 20% without a significant rise in the risk of a serious adverse event in people aged 60 years or older. Over a 2-year follow-up period, the intervention reduced the risk of death, progression or relapse by 45% and reduced the risk of death by 47% in this population. There is no direct evidence for the clinical effectiveness of adding rituximab to CHOP in the treatment of DLBCL in those aged 18-59 years, although data from phase I and II trials confirm its safety and efficacy in a preclinical setting. The cost-effectiveness modelling presented here has shown that rituximab in combination with CHOP chemotherapy regimen is likely to be considered a cost-effective treatment for DLBCL when compared with the current standard treatment, CHOP chemotherapy only. Analysis of quality of life (QoL) in the area of NHL is limited and only one cost-utility analysis for the treatment of CHOP in NHL was identified. Both the SCHARR and the manufacturer's models utilised QoL utility scores from an unpublished data source. Further research within this area would help to improve the robustness of QoL utility analysis within DLBCL and also NHL as a whole. Further clinical trials might also establish whether R-CHOP may replace peripheral blood stem cell transplant in high-risk patients and whether the doses of chemotherapy in the elderly may be reduced if rituximab is added to less intensive regimens.
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Health Technol Assess · Sep 2004
Review Comparative StudyCoronary artery stents: a rapid systematic review and economic evaluation.
To assess the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of the use of coronary artery stents in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD). ⋯ DES might be considered cost-effective if the additional cost (compared with ordinary stents) was substantially reduced, the outcome benefits from the use of DES were much improved, and/or its use were targeted on the subgroups of patients with the highest risks of requiring reintervention. Long-term clinical studies are needed that focus on significant outcomes such as mortality. Further research should consider: the differences among plain stents; head-to-head comparisons within DES, CABG compared with DES; and the evaluation of newer non-DES against DES. Evaluation of the effects of revascularisation procedures and especially repeat revascularisation procedures on the patient's quality of life would also be useful, as would the development and testing of risk assessment tools to identify patients likely to need further revascularisations.
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Health Technol Assess · Jul 2004
Review Comparative StudyEffectiveness and cost-effectiveness of imatinib for first-line treatment of chronic myeloid leukaemia in chronic phase: a systematic review and economic analysis.
To evaluate the effectiveness of imatinib as first-line treatment for chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) compared with interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha), hydroxyurea and bone marrow transplantation (BMT), and the cost-effectiveness of imatinib compared with IFN-alpha and hydroxyurea. ⋯ Imatinib appears to be more effective than current standard drug treatments in terms of cytogenetic response and progression-free survival, with fewer side-effects. However, there is uncertainty concerning longer term outcomes, the development of resistance to imatinib, the duration of response and the place of imatinib relative to BMT. New issues are continually arising, such as optimal management pathways and combination therapies. Recommendations for research include: long-term follow-up data from the first- and second-line imatinib trials; investigation into specific subgroups, e.g. high-risk patients, the elderly, children or those eligible for BMT; long-term comparisons of imatinib with BMT performed in early stages of CML; the use of imatinib in combination with other therapies, and further detailed economic studies. Investigation of the impact of CML and imatinib on quality of life is also important.
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Health Technol Assess · Jul 2004
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Comparative Study Clinical TrialVenUS I: a randomised controlled trial of two types of bandage for treating venous leg ulcers.
To compare the clinical and cost-effectiveness of two different compression bandages for the healing of venous leg ulcers. ⋯ The 4LB, which is currently the UK standard compression bandage for people with venous leg ulcers, was more clinically and cost-effective than the SSB. The bandage costs were less important than the costs of treatment visits, and patients in SSBs required more treatment overall. Generally, this trial supports the use of the 4LB in preference to the SSB. Recommendations for future research include: exploration of the relationship between bandager skill, application technique and ulcer healing; the relative cost-effectiveness of community leg ulcer clinics; and the study of nurse decision-making in venous ulcer management.