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Rajabi T, Szilberhorn L, Győrbíró D, Tatár M, Vokó Z, Nagy B. Cost-Effectiveness of Lung Cancer Screening with Low-Dose Computed Tomography: Comparing Hungarian Screening Protocols with the US NLST. Cancers (Basel) 2024; 16:2933. [PMID: 39272791 PMCID: PMC11394594 DOI: 10.3390/cancers16172933] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2024] [Revised: 08/14/2024] [Accepted: 08/21/2024] [Indexed: 09/15/2024] Open
Abstract
We aimed to directly compare the cost-effectiveness of Hungarian (following the NELSON trial) and NLST screening protocols, two trials influencing lung-cancer-screening implementation internationally. A decision-analytic model analyzing the cost-effectiveness of Hungarian protocols was manipulated to reflect the protocols of the NLST, while maintaining features specific to the Hungarian healthcare setting. In the Hungarian protocol, there are three possible outcomes to the initial round of screening, positive, negative, and indeterminate, indicating an uncertain degree of suspicion for lung cancer. This protocol differs from the NLST, in which the only possible screening outcomes are positive or negative, with no indeterminate option. The NLST pathway for smokers aged 55-74 resulted in a EUR 43 increase in the total average lifetime costs compared to the Hungarian screening pathway and resulted in a lifetime gain of 0.006 QALYs. The incremental costs and QALYs yielded an ICER of 7875 EUR/QALY. Our results demonstrate that assigning any suspicious LDCT screen as a positive result (NLST protocol) rather than indeterminate (Hungarian protocol) can reduce patient uncertainty and yield a slight QALY gain that is worth the additional use of resources according to Hungary's willingness-to-pay threshold. A stratified analysis by age was also conducted, revealing decreasing cost-effectiveness when screening older cohorts. Our study provides insight into the cost-effectiveness, advantages, and disadvantages of various LDCT screening protocols for lung cancer and can assist other countries as they implement their screening programs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tanya Rajabi
- University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, NY 14642, USA
- Center for Health Technology Assessment, Semmelweis University, 1091 Budapest, Hungary
| | | | | | - Manna Tatár
- Center for Health Technology Assessment, Semmelweis University, 1091 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Zoltán Vokó
- Center for Health Technology Assessment, Semmelweis University, 1091 Budapest, Hungary
- Syreon Research Institute, 1142 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Balázs Nagy
- Center for Health Technology Assessment, Semmelweis University, 1091 Budapest, Hungary
- Syreon Research Institute, 1142 Budapest, Hungary
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Gálffy G, Szabó GT, Tamási L, Müller V, Moldvay J, Sárosi V, Kerpel-Fronius A, Kardos T, Csada E, Pápai-Székely Z, Szász Z, Király Z, Hódi G, Kovács Z, Balogh É, Kovács KA, Darida M, Buga V, Rokszin G, Abonyi-Tóth Z, Kiss Z, Vokó Z, Bogos K. Decreasing incidence and mortality of lung cancer in Hungary between 2011 and 2021 revealed by robust estimates reconciling multiple data sources. Pathol Oncol Res 2024; 30:1611754. [PMID: 38887697 PMCID: PMC11181153 DOI: 10.3389/pore.2024.1611754] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/29/2024] [Accepted: 05/17/2024] [Indexed: 06/20/2024]
Abstract
Objective Hungary has repeatedly been shown to have the highest cancer-related mortality and incidence in Europe. Despite lung cancer being the most abundant malignant diagnosis in Hungary, numerous concerns have been raised recently regarding the bias inherent to reported incidence estimates. Re-analysis of reimbursement claims has been suggested previously by our group as an alternative approach, offering revised figures of lung cancer incidence between 2011 and 2016. Leveraging on this methodology, we aimed at updating Hungarian lung cancer incidence estimates with an additional 5 years (2017-2021), including years affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, we also attempted to improve the robustness of estimates by taking additional characteristics of the patient pathway into account. Methods Lung cancer patients between 2011 and 2021 were identified based on reimbursement-associated ICD-10 codes, histology codes and time patterns. Multiple query architectures were tested for sensitivity and compared to official estimates of the Hungarian National Cancer Registry (HNCR). Epidemiological trends were estimated by Poisson-regression, corrected for age and sex. Results A total of 89,948 lung cancer patients diagnosed in Hungary between 2011 and 2021 have been identified by our study. In 2019 alone, 7,887 patients were diagnosed according to our optimized query. ESP2013 standardized rate was estimated between 92.5/100,000 (2011) and 78.4/100,000 (2019). In 2019, standardized incidence was 106.8/100,000 for men and 59.7/100,000 for women. Up until the COVID-19 pandemic, lung cancer incidence was decreasing by 3.18% (2.1%-4.3%) yearly in men, while there was no significant decrease in women. Young age groups (40-49 and 50-59) featured the largest improvement, but women aged 60-79 are at an increasing risk for developing lung cancer. The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a statistically significant decrease in lung cancer incidence, especially in the 50-59 age group (both sexes). Conclusion Our results show that using an optimized approach, re-analysis of reimbursement claims yields robust estimates of lung cancer incidence. According to this approach, the incidence rate of male lung cancer is declining in Hungary, in concordance with the trend observed for lung cancer mortality. Among women aged 60-79, the incidence of lung cancer has risen, requiring more attention in the near future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriella Gálffy
- Department of Pulmonology, Pulmonology Center of the Reformed Church in Hungary, Törökbálint, Hungary
| | | | - Lilla Tamási
- Department of Pulmonology, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Veronika Müller
- Department of Pulmonology, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Judit Moldvay
- Department of Pulmonology, National Korányi Institute of Pulmonology, Budapest, Hungary
- Department of Pulmonology, University of Szeged Albert Szent-Györgyi Medical School, Szeged, Hungary
| | | | - Anna Kerpel-Fronius
- National Korányi Institute of Pulmonology, Department of Radiology, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Tamás Kardos
- Department of Pulmonology, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary
| | - Edit Csada
- Department of Pulmonology, University of Szeged Albert Szent-Györgyi Medical School, Szeged, Hungary
| | - Zsolt Pápai-Székely
- Fejér County Szent György, University Teaching Hospital, Székesfehérvár, Hungary
| | - Zoltán Szász
- Department of Pulmonology, Petz Aladár University Teaching Hospital, Győr, Hungary
| | - Zsolt Király
- Veszprém County Pulmonary Hospital Farkasgyepű, Farkasgyepű, Hungary
| | - Gábor Hódi
- MSD Pharma Hungary Ltd., Budapest, Hungary
| | | | - Éva Balogh
- MSD Pharma Hungary Ltd., Budapest, Hungary
| | | | | | | | | | - Zsolt Abonyi-Tóth
- RxTarget Ltd Szolnok, Szolnok, Hungary
- Department of Biostatistics, University of Veterinary Medicine, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Zoltán Kiss
- MSD Pharma Hungary Ltd., Budapest, Hungary
- 2nd Department of Medicine and Nephrology-Diabetes Center, University of Pécs Medical School, Pécs, Hungary
| | - Zoltán Vokó
- Center for Health Technology Assessment, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
- Syreon Research Institute, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Krisztina Bogos
- National Korányi Institute of Pulmonology, Budapest, Hungary
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Tóth G, Muzsik B, Szajkó A, Kerber P, Dinya E, Csákány B, Nagy ZZ, Németh J. Incidence and Mortality of Uveal Melanoma in Hungary: A Nationwide Study. Cancers (Basel) 2024; 16:931. [PMID: 38473294 DOI: 10.3390/cancers16050931] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2024] [Revised: 02/18/2024] [Accepted: 02/23/2024] [Indexed: 03/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Uveal melanoma (UM) is the most common primary malignant ocular tumour in adults, although its epidemiology in Central and Eastern Europe is unclear. This study aimed to analyse the incidence and all-cause mortality of UM in Hungary. This nationwide, retrospective, longitudinal study used data from the National Health Insurance Fund and included patients aged ≥18 years who were newly diagnosed with UM (ICD-10 C69.3 or C69.4) between 1 January 2012 and 31 December 2021. Age-standardised incidence and all-cause mortality rates were calculated using European Standard Population data from 2013. We identified 88 and 70 new patients with UM in 2012 and 2021, respectively, showing an almost stable trend. Age-standardised incidence rates varied between 6.40 and 10.96/1,000,000 person-years (PYs) during the analysed period. The highest age-standardised incidence was detected among men (13.38/1,000,000 PYs) in 2015. All-cause mortality decreased from 4.72/1,000,000 PYs to 0.79/1,000,000 PYs between 2012 and 2021. In conclusion, the UM incidence rate in Hungary is comparable to European incidence rates. The incidence did not markedly change, whereas all-cause mortality decreased during the study period, but this decline could not be attributed to improved treatment modalities for primary tumours and metastatic UM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gábor Tóth
- Department of Ophthalmology, Semmelweis University, Mária utca 39, H-1085 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Béla Muzsik
- National Directorate General for Hospitals, Diós árok 3, H-1125 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Attila Szajkó
- National Directorate General for Hospitals, Diós árok 3, H-1125 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Pál Kerber
- National Directorate General for Hospitals, Diós árok 3, H-1125 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Elek Dinya
- Institute of Digital Health Sciences, Semmelweis University, Ferenc tér 15, H-1094 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Béla Csákány
- Department of Ophthalmology, Semmelweis University, Mária utca 39, H-1085 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Zoltán Zsolt Nagy
- Department of Ophthalmology, Semmelweis University, Mária utca 39, H-1085 Budapest, Hungary
| | - János Németh
- Department of Ophthalmology, Semmelweis University, Mária utca 39, H-1085 Budapest, Hungary
- National Directorate General for Hospitals, Diós árok 3, H-1125 Budapest, Hungary
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Horváth K, Túri G, Kaposvári C, Cseh B, Dózsa CL. Challenges and opportunities for improvement in the management and financing system of Health Promotion Offices in Hungary. Front Public Health 2023; 11:1219186. [PMID: 37965520 PMCID: PMC10641462 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1219186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2023] [Accepted: 10/09/2023] [Indexed: 11/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Background One hundred ten Health Promotion Offices (HPOs) have started operating in Hungary in response to public health challenges. Many of them have been active for almost 10 years, yet their operational experience has not been evaluated. The specific objectives of our study were: (1) to describe the current operational and funding system of HPOs, (2) to identify challenges related to the current management and funding practices, and (3) to formulate recommendations for improvement based on gathered experience and international experience. Design In order to gain a deeper insight into the operational experience of HPOs, an online survey was conducted with the professional or economic managers of HPOs. A scoping review was carried out to gather international experiences about best practices to formulate recommendations for improvement in developing the operational and financing scheme for HPOs. Results We found that current HPO network in Hungary faces three main challenges: a deficient management system, inflexible financing scheme, and unequal ability to purchase or provide services for the population. Conclusions Based on the survey complemented by international experiences, we propose the overhaul of the professional management system and switching toa combination of fixed and performance-based financing scheme for the HPOs in Hungary.
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Affiliation(s)
- Krisztián Horváth
- Department of Public Health, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
- Med-Econ Human Services Ltd., Budapest, Hungary
- Synthesis Health Research Foundation, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Gergo Túri
- Med-Econ Human Services Ltd., Budapest, Hungary
- Synthesis Health Research Foundation, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Csilla Kaposvári
- Med-Econ Human Services Ltd., Budapest, Hungary
- Synthesis Health Research Foundation, Budapest, Hungary
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Doctoral School, University of Pécs, Pécs, Hungary
| | - Borbála Cseh
- Med-Econ Human Services Ltd., Budapest, Hungary
- Doctoral School of Medical Sciences, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Csaba László Dózsa
- Med-Econ Human Services Ltd., Budapest, Hungary
- Department of Theoretical Health Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Miskolc, Miskolc, Hungary
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