Hereditary cancer genetic testing and breast cancer screening: a cost-effectiveness assessment
Kostiuchenko Y.1, Iegorova E.2
- 1Nonprofit Organization National Cancer Institute, Kyiv, Ukraine
- 2Bogomolets National Medical University, Kyiv, Ukraine
Summary. Panel next-generation sequencing genetic testing for hereditary cancer gene mutations is currently not included in any of the screening programs. However, this diagnostic method has great prospects as an additional screening method, since the increase in its cost may be less than the reduction in treatment costs and the loss of the state’s economy. The article assessed the cost of standard lifetime breast cancer screening programs in women in Ukraine compared to other countries. The cost of genetic testing has been shown to be comparable to them: the addition of genetic screening can increase its cost by an estimated 25–100%. The cost of genetic testing, which is performed once in a lifetime, is the same as the cost of all (10–14+) mammograms that are provided during a woman’s lifetime. Further research on this issue, the creation of pilot projects, the setting up of opportunistic genetic screening for women with a burdened personal or family history of cancer, the evaluation of the cost of preventive surgical interventions in comparison with comprehensive cancer treatment, all these things should provide an answer of the role of genetic testing in the future.
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