Liquid Biopsies (LBx) offer a promising alternative to tissue biopsies for cancer diagnosis and treatment, and promise to open a new era in cancer prevention for cancers like ovarian and pancreatic.
A new systematic review by Fagery et al., in Pharmacoeconomics, collects 24 studies in order to assess LBx health economics and modeling challenges in precision medicine.
Open access here.
Most studies (80%) conducted economic evaluations, with 75% demonstrating LB cost-effectiveness across diverse cancer types and stages. LBx were reported as beneficial for screening (2/3) and treatment selection (1/4). Budget impact varied, with many suggesting cost savings or modest impact. LBx could be cost-effective for lung cancer treatment selection and early detection of various cancers. However, "further research is needed," and the authors felt some publications under-rate modeling challenges, such as uncertainty.
