Evidence map›Paper›PMID 29089805›Full record

ArticleCurrent oncology (Toronto, Ont.)2017

Cost analysis of breast cancer diagnostic assessment programs.

G N Honein-AbouHaidar, J S Hoch, M J Dobrow, T Stuart-McEwan, D R McCready, A R Gagliardi

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Current oncology (Toronto, Ont.), 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

G N Honein-AbouHaidarToronto General Research Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, ON.
J S HochSt. Michael's Hospital, Cancer Care Ontario, and Canadian Centre for Applied Research in Cancer Control, Toronto, ON.
M J DobrowInstitute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON.
T Stuart-McEwanGattuso Rapid Diagnostic Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, ON.
D R McCreadySurgical Oncology, University Health Network, Toronto, ON.
A R GagliardiToronto General Research Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, ON.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesDiagnostic assessment programs (daps) appear to improve the diagnosis of cancer, but evidence of their cost-effectiveness is lacking. Given that no earlier study used secondary financial data to estimate the cost of diagnostic tests in the province of Ontario, we explored how to use secondary financial data to retrieve the cost of key diagnostic test services in daps, and we tested the reliability of that cost-retrieving method with hospital-reported costs in preparation for future cost-effectiveness studies.

methodsWe powered our sample at an alpha of 0.05, a power of 80%, and a margin of error of ±5%, and randomly selected a sample of eligible patients referred to a dap for suspected breast cancer during 1 January-31 December 2012. Confirmatory diagnostic tests received by each patient were identified in medical records. Canadian Classification of Health Intervention procedure codes were used to search the secondary financial data Web portal at the Ontario Case Costing Initiative for an estimate of the direct, indirect, and total costs of each test. The hospital-reported cost of each test received was obtained from the host-hospital's finance department. Descriptive statistics were used to calculate the cost of individual or group confirmatory diagnostic tests, and the Wilcoxon signed-rank test or the paired t-test was used to compare the Ontario Case Costing Initiative and hospital-reported costs.

resultsFor the 191 identified patients with suspected breast cancer, the estimated total cost of $72,195.50 was not significantly different from the hospital-reported total cost of $72,035.52 (

conclusionsIt was feasible to use secondary financial data to retrieve the cost of key diagnostic tests in a breast cancer dap and to compare the reliability of the costs obtained by that estimation method with hospital-reported costs. We identified the strengths and challenges of each approach. Lessons learned from this study have to be taken into consideration in future cost-effectiveness studies.

Indexed as

Breast cancercost analysesdiagnosisdiagnostic assessment programs

Identifiers

PMID29089805
PMCPMC5659159

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.