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ArticleApplied health economics and health policy2025

Structured Expert Elicitation to Inform Long-Term Survival Extrapolations in Advanced Renal Cell Carcinoma.

Dawn Lee, Zain Ahmad, James M G Larkin, Amit Bahl, G J Melendez-Torres

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Article in Applied health economics and health policy, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–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 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
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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

5 authors.

Dawn LeePenTAG, University of Exeter, University of Exeter Medical School, South Cloisters, St Luke's Campus, Exeter, EX1 2LU, UK. d.lee7@exeter.ac.uk.ORCID 0000-0003-4027-8456
Zain AhmadPenTAG, University of Exeter, University of Exeter Medical School, South Cloisters, St Luke's Campus, Exeter, EX1 2LU, UK.ORCID 0009-0003-3618-7102
James M G LarkinRoyal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK.ORCID 0000-0001-5569-9523
Amit BahlBristol Haematology and Oncology Centre, Bristol, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-8525-0310
G J Melendez-TorresPenTAG, University of Exeter, University of Exeter Medical School, South Cloisters, St Luke's Campus, Exeter, EX1 2LU, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-9823-4790

Funding

NIHR Bristol Biomedical Research Centre NIHR136008
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundIn the absence of long-term data, structured expert elicitation gathers expert judgments and associated uncertainties to assess the clinical plausibility of long-term extrapolations.

objectiveThe objective of this study was to obtain expert estimates of expected long-term outcomes for advanced renal cell carcinoma treatments to inform cost-effectiveness analysis for National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE)'s pathways pilot.

methodsUsing materials from the structured expert elicitation resources (STEER) repository, aligned with the Medical Research Council (MRC) protocol, the exercise was planned and conducted. Aiming for 5-10 oncologists from diverse UK geographies and settings, experts estimated progression-free survival (PFS) at three landmark timepoints for 21 disease-risk-prior treatment combinations and overall survival for best supportive care. Within an 8-week timeframe, we piloted with one clinician, conducted online training, collected responses via an online survey using the roulette method and mathematically aggregated results through linear opinion pooling.

resultsNine experts participated (question response rate: 95%). For first-line intermediate/poor-risk patients, clinicians projected similar PFS for three immune oncology/tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) combinations from 5 years onward and comparable PFS for two TKI monotherapies. Nivolumab + ipilimumab was anticipated to achieve the highest PFS amongst first-line therapies. Expert reasoning incorporated treatment class, clinical experience, and awareness of trial data optimism. Expert estimates were generally somewhat optimistic compared with observed UK real-world evidence and pessimistic compared with observed trial data.

conclusionsStructured expert elicitation is a pragmatic, efficient approach for informing long-term survival extrapolations in the context of a rapidly evolving treatment pathway. We demonstrated that expert elicitation is possible even for complex decision problems in a relatively short timeframe.

Indexed as

Carcinoma, Renal CellOutcome ExpectationsAntineoplastic AgentsHumansImmune Checkpoint InhibitorsIpilimumabNivolumabSurvival RateTyrosine Kinase InhibitorsUnited KingdomAntineoplastic AgentsImmune Checkpoint InhibitorsIpilimumabNivolumabTyrosine Kinase Inhibitors

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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.