AUTHOR=Yang Nan , Yang Han , Guo Jeff Jianfei , Hu Ming , Li Sheyu 

TITLE=Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Ultrasound Screening for Thyroid Cancer in Asymptomatic Adults

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Public Health

VOLUME=9

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/public-health/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2021.729684

DOI=10.3389/fpubh.2021.729684

ISSN=2296-2565

ABSTRACT=<p><bold>Objectives:</bold> This study evaluated the long-term cost-effectiveness of ultrasound screening for thyroid cancer compared with non-screening in asymptomatic adults.</p><p><bold>Methods:</bold> Applying a Markov decision-tree model with effectiveness and cost data from literature, we compared the long-term cost-effectiveness of the two strategies: ultrasound screening and non-screening for thyroid cancer. A one-way sensitivity analysis and a probabilistic sensitivity analysis were performed to verify the stability of model results.</p><p><bold>Results:</bold> The cumulative cost of screening for thyroid cancer was $18,819.24, with 18.74 quality-adjusted life years (QALYs), whereas the cumulative cost of non-screening was $15,864.28, with 18.71 QALYs. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of $106,947.50/QALY greatly exceeded the threshold of $50,000. The result of the one-way sensitivity analysis showed that the utility values of benign nodules and utility of health after thyroid cancer surgery would affect the results.</p><p><bold>Conclusions:</bold> Ultrasound screening for thyroid cancer has no obvious advantage in terms of cost-effectiveness compared with non-screening. The optimized thyroid screening strategy for a specific population is essential.</p>