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Cancer research

Personalized Risk Assessment for Ovarian Cancer Cuts NHS Costs

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

Researchers at the University of Cambridge have found that personalized risk assessment (PRA) for women with or without germline pathogenic variants (GPVs) in breast and ovarian cancer susceptibility genes can be cost-effective in some situations. The study compared conventional risk assessment (CRA) with PRA, which takes into account genetic and non-genetic risk modifiers, and found that PRA was more cost-effective in situations with moderate-risk breast cancer GPVs, while CRA was more cost-effective with high-risk breast cancer GPVs.

Key Takeaways:

  • The study, funded by Cancer Research UK and the International Alliance for Cancer Early Detection (ACED) programme, compared two strategies for risk stratification for female participants: CRA and PRA.
  • PRA was cost-effective compared with CRA in women with GPVs in PALB2 who have ovarian or breast cancer family history, and women with GPVs in ATM, CHEK2, RAD51C, or RAD51D.
  • CRA was more cost-effective compared with PRA in women with GPVs in BRCA1 or BRCA2, women with no pathogenic variant, and women with GPVs in PALB2 who have unknown family history or breast cancer family history.
  • The study concluded that PRA was cost-effective in specific situations compared with CRA in the UK for assessment of women with or without GPVs in breast and ovarian cancer susceptibility genes.

Statistics:

  • 20 different groups of women were analyzed based on their GPV status and family history.
  • PRA was cost-effective compared with CRA in 12 out of 20 scenarios.
  • The cost-effectiveness threshold used in the study was £20,000 per quality-adjusted life year (QALY).
  • The study found that PRA resulted in a median cost of £15,600 compared with £17,400 under CRA for women with moderate-risk breast cancer GPVs.

Sources:

  • Economic Evaluation of Personalised Versus Conventional Risk Assessment for Women Who Have Undergone Testing for Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer Genes: a Modelling Study. Journal of Medical Genetics, 2025.
  • NewsRx. Studies from University of Cambridge Yield New Data on Ovarian Cancer (Economic Evaluation of Personalised Versus Conventional Risk Assessment for Women Who Have Undergone Testing for Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer Genes: a Modelling Study). OBGYN & Reproduction Week. May 12, 2025; p 603.

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