Objectives: Recent surveys have indicated that four alternatives are employed for adjuvant treatment of stage I endometrial adenocarcinoma: observation (OBS), high dose rate vaginal brachytherapy (VB), whole pelvic external beam radiotherapy (EBRT), or a combination of pelvic external beam with vaginal brachytherapy (COMB). Our goal was to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of these alternatives for management of stage I endometrial adenocarcinoma.
Methods: We designed a decision analysis model comparing the four possible treatments in terms of their utility and cost. We reviewed the existing literature and utilized published data to estimate complication and recurrence rates from each treatment option. We obtained cost data from a chart review of patients treated with each approach at a single institution between 1995 and 2005.
Results: OBS yielded the lowest expected cost, $437 million per 100,000 women. COMB yielded the highest cost, at $2.93 billion per 100,000 women. VB yielded the highest 5-year quality adjusted survival, 86%. In a population of 100,000 women, VB would result in an additional 8200 quality adjusted survivors compared to OBS, at a cost of $65,900 per survivor. In contrast, EBRT and COMB result in either fewer survivors and/or greater costs when compared to OBS or VB.
Conclusion: Routine use of adjuvant EBRT or COMB in the management of surgical stage I endometrial adenocarcinoma is not cost-effective. Compared to OBS, post-operative VB improves survival at a cost of $65,900 per survivor, supporting further investigation of this adjuvant therapy.