Published: 28-10-2019

We update the heoro.com database every night by running a systematic search of PubMed for studies on health economics and outcomes research. In this blog, we summarise some of the key studies that have been added during the month of November 2019. Bianchi 2019 Go to paper on PubMed

Studies reporting utilities

• SF-12 and FACT-C scores and mortality were not significantly different in patients with stage II colon cancer in the USA who took herbal/botanical supplements than those who did not. Chen 2018 Go to paper on PubMed 
• The Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Breast (FACT-B) was mapped to the EQ-5D-5L in patients with breast cancer in China. Yang 2019 Go to paper on PubMed
• Mean EQ-5D value was 0.88 and EQ-VAS was 80 in patients a mean 3.8 years after distal radius fracture in the Netherlands; mean Patient-Rated Wrist Evaluation (PRWE) score was 11.  van Leerdam 2019 Go to paper on PubMed
• SF-36 values were significantly reduced for at least 6 months after fracture of the lower limb in adults in Brazil. de Andrade Fonseca 2019 Go to paper on PubMed
• EQ-5D values were similar across treatment regimens for haemophilia A but Haem-A-QoL and Haemo-QoL scores were worse with episodic than prophylactic treatment; patients missed 16% of work days and 23% of school days. Mahlangu 2019 Go to paper on PubMed
• The minimally important difference in SF-6D was 0.026 and in EQ-5D was 0.025 in women undergoing surgery for pelvic organ prolapse in the USA. Harvie 2019 Go to paper on PubMed
• The EQ-5D-5L was validated against the WHOQOL-BREF as a measure of utility in caregivers of patients with leukaemia in China. Li 2019 Go to paper on PubMed
• EQ-5D scores were 0.77 for patients having telemedicine orthopaedic outpatient consultations in Norway compared with 0.75 for those attending standard outpatient clinics. Buvik 2019 Go to paper on PubMed

Studies validating a PRO instrument

• The Control of Allergic Rhinitis and Asthma Test (CARAT10) was validated against the Asthma Control Questionnaire (ACQ), the Asthma Control Test (ACT), and the Standardised Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire (AQLQ(S)) in patients in Germany with asthma with or without allergic rhinitis. Werner 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• The Royal College of Physicians three questions has limited use in assessing asthma control in children in the UK compared with the Asthma Control Test (ACT), Childhood Asthma Control Test (C-ACT), and Mini-Paediatric Quality of Life Questionnaire (MiniPAQLQ). Andrews 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• A systematic review found that only 2 instruments in Portuguese were validated measures of quality of life in women with faecal incontinence: the Fecal Incontinence Quality of Life (FIQL) and the Wexner scale (WS). Vasconcelos 2019 Go to paper on PubMed
• The auditory vocal hallucination rating scale questionnaire (AVHRS-Q) was validated against the Outcome Questionnaire (OQ-45), Symptom Checklist (SCL-90) and Manchester Short Assessment of Quality of Life (MANSA) in patients with auditory hallucinations in the Netherlands. Steenhuis 2019 Go to paper on PubMed
• The Mandarin Velopharyngeal Insufficiency Effects on Life Outcomes Instrument (VELO) was validated in people with velopharyngeal insufficiency in China. Huang 2019 Go to paper on PubMed
• The minimal clinically important difference in the PEmbQoL questionnaire to assess quality of life after pulmonary embolism is 15 points in assessments against the SF-36 and UCSD Shortness of Breath Questionnaire. Akaberi 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• The Cambridge Pulmonary Hypertension Outcome Review (CAMPHOR) was validated against the SF-36 in patients with pulmonary hypertension in Croatia. Hecimovic 2019 Go to paper on PubMed
• The abbreviated Expanded prostate Cancer index composite (EPIC-26) was validated in men after robotic radical prostatectomy for prostate cancer in Italy. Marzorati 2019 Go to paper on PubMed
• The WHOQOL-HIV-BREF was validated against the CEAT-VIH assessment of adherence to antiretroviral therapy, GHQ-12 psychological well-being and HIV-related stigma (HSSS) in people with HIV in Spain. Fuster-RuizdeApodaca 2019 Go to paper on PubMed
• The Asthma Impact on Quality of Life Scale (A-IQOLS) was validated in a range of asthma populations in the USA against the Asthma Control Test, Juniper Mini Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire, and Marks Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire. Wilson 2019 Go to paper on PubMed 
• A general self-efficacy item bank for the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) was validated against the Toolbox Self-Efficacy Item Bank, Life Orientation Test-Revised (LOT-R), and Generalized Expectancy for Success Scale (GESS) in the general population of the USA. Salsman 2019 Go to paper on PubMed
• The PedsQL and height-specific QoLISSY were more appropriate for clinical research than the achondroplasia-specific APLES in children and adolescents with achondroplasia in Spain and Germany. Bloemeke 2019 Go to paper on PubMed
• The EQ-5D-3L was moderately correlated with the Lehman Quality of Life Interview 20 (QOLI-20) Colorado Symptom Index (CSI) and Recovery Assessment Scale (RAS) in homeless people with mental illness in Canada. Kozloff 2019 Go to paper on PubMed
• The Child Perceptions Questionnaire 11-14 (CPQ) and Parental Perceptions Questionnaire (P-CPQ) were validated as measures of oral health-related quality of life in children and their caregivers in Sweden. Dimberg 2019 Go to paper on PubMed
• The Portuguese World Health Organization's Quality of Life Instrument - Spirituality, Religion, and Personal Beliefs module (WHOQOL-SRPB BREF) was validated against the WHOQOL-BREF, the Brief Religious-Spiritual Coping Scale (RCOPE), and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) as a measure of religious belief and depression in Brazil. Zimpel 2019 Go to paper on PubMed
• The Hip disability and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (HOOS), modified Harris hip score, and Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) were validated in patients undergoing periacetabular osteotomy for symptomatic developmental dysplasia of the hip in the USA. Wasko 2019 Go to paper on PubMed
• The Migraine Functional Impact Questionnaire (MFIQ) was developed to assess the impact of preventive treatments for migraine on functional outcomes. Hareendran 2018 Go to paper on PubMed

Other PRO studies

• Hand grip strength correlated with the Pediatric quality of life inventory (PedsQL) and was inversely associated with the juvenile arthritis disease activity score (JADAS-27) and juvenile arthritis functionality scale (JAFS) in children and adolescents with juvenile arthritis in Egypt. Rashed 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• Genital Psoriasis Symptoms Scale (GPSS), Genital Psoriasis Sexual Frequency Questionnaire (GenPs-SFQ), Genital Psoriasis Sexual Impact Scale (GPSIS) and Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) scores were all significantly improved with ixekizumab compared with placebo in patients with genital psoriasis. Yosipovitch 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• Levels of alcohol consumption were significantly associated with depression and neuroticism in UK adults; reducing alcohol consumption by 1g/day led to household income savings of £209. Li 2019 Go to paper on PubMed
• A systematic review found low to moderate level evidence that Tai Chi may reduce cortisol and improve limb function, quality of life and sleep in cancer survivors. Ni 2019 Go to paper on PubMed
• EPIC-26 domain scores were mapped to functional outcomes in men with localised prostate cancer in the USA; sexual function score of 40 to 60 = 28% report adequate erections, score 80 to 100 = 97% have adequate erections. Laviana 2019 Go to paper on PubMed
• A systematic review found long-term benefits from omalizumab on quality of life, corticosteroid use and hospitalisations in people with moderate to severe allergic asthma. Colombo 2019 Go to paper on PubMed

Studies reporting costs and resource use

• Hospitalisation costs of cervical cancer in Italy decreased by 39% from 2007 to 2016 as incidence halved from 43.7/100,000 residents in 2007 to 21.0/100,000 in 2016. Bianchi 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• Annual direct costs were $11,507 higher in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps than those without these disorders in the USA. Bhattacharyya 2019 Go to paper on PubMed 
• Length of stay after Caesarian section in North-Eastern Italy has decreased over time but was 4.7 days in 2005-2015, higher than international recommendations. Cegolon 2019 Go to paper on PubMed
• A systematic review concluded that the mean annual cost of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder is $22,810 in children and $24,308 for adults, taking lost productivity of subjects and caregivers into account. Greenmyer 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• Site-specific relative survival for cancer in 2012 was 0.55 in countries with a median health expenditure of $4643. Choi 2019 Go to paper on PubMed
• A one-point increase in Cohen-Mansfield Agitation Inventory (CMAI) scores was associated with a 0.5% increase in annual costs of care for adults with dementia in nursing homes in the UK; agitation accounted for 44% of the annual health and social care costs of dementia. Panca 2019 Go to paper on PubMed 
• Mean non-drug cost of administering IV biologicals for inflammatory bowel disease in Ireland was €224.54 per treatment; 37% was nurse time, 27% laboratory costs, 14% other healthcare professional time. Cronin 2019 Go to paper on PubMed
• Productivity costs of hypertension in Australia were estimated to be AUD$137.2 billion in lost gross domestic product over a working lifetime; reducing hypertension prevalence by 25% would lead to 155 to 450 productivity-adjusted life-years over the working lifetime. Hird 2019 Go to paper on PubMed
• A systematic review found that the direct and indirect costs of dengue in 18 countries was US$3.3 billion Purchasing Power Parity in 2015. Oliveira 2019 Go to paper on PubMed
• In the USA, 45.8% of hospital admissions for cirrhosis in 2002 to 2014 were for alcoholic cirrhosis, accounting for 59.9% of all cirrhosis-related costs in 2014; total charges for alcoholic cirrhosis increased by 95.7% over the time period. Barritt 2019 Go to paper on PubMed
• Mean annualised direct costs of migraine in the USA in 2010-2013 were $13,032, indirect costs for absence were $4104, societal costs due to absence were $16,043 and short term disability societal costs were $14,278, all significantly higher than in controls without migraine. Gilligan 2018 Go to paper on PubMed

Economic evaluations

• Buprenorphine-naloxone is cost-effective in 97% of replications compared with extended-release naltrexone at 24 weeks in prevention of opioid relapse in US adults undergoing residential opioid treatment programs, at a willingness to pay threshold of $100,000/QALY gained. Murphy 2019 Go to paper on PubMed
• A systematic review of immune checkpoint inhibitors found limited evidence that nivolumab and pembrolizumab may be cost-effective in melanoma and pembrolizumab in NSCLC but none are cost-effective in head and neck or urogenital cancers. Verma 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• Targeted therapy generated the most QALYs in patients with psoriasis in Japan but combined active vitamin D and topical corticosteroid was the most cost-effective topical treatment. Takahashi 2019 Go to paper on PubMed
• Antiemetic triple therapy including palonosetron is not cost-effective compared with granisetron-based regimens in people with cisplatin-induced nausea and vomiting in Japan, with an ICER of 16,204,591 JPY/QALY (US$144,465/QALY). Kashiwa 2019 Go to paper on PubMed
• A systematic review found the cost-effectiveness of palivizumab for RSV infections ranged from dominant to $2.5million/QALY; cost-effective in premature infants and infants with lung complications or from remote communities. Mac 2019 Go to paper on PubMed
• Aprepitant is cost-effective in patients receiving highly emetogenic chemotherapy in Japan, with an ICER in those who needed aprepitant of US$7912/QALY gained and US$27,457 for those receiving moderately emetogenic chemotherapy, compared with US$175,959 and US$478,844/QALY respectively in those who did not need aprepitant. Tsukiyama 2019 Go to paper on PubMed  
• A systematic review of economic evaluations found that apixaban is most commonly reported as the most cost-effective direct oral anticoagulant for prevention and treatment of venous thromboembolism. Al Mukdad 2019 Go to paper on PubMed

Studies reporting mortality rates and trends

• An expanded A-DROP score was superior to other scoring systems to predict mortality in community-acquired pneumonia in Korea. Ahn 2018 Go to paper on PubMed 
• In 50 year-old patients with HIV and Hepatitis C coinfection in France, 5-year mortality was 4.5% in those with liver stiffness ≤12.5 kPa compared with 10.8% for patients with liver stiffness >12.5 kPa. Shili-Masmoudi 2019 Go to paper on PubMed
• Each 10-fold increase in viremia copy-years over the previous 3 to 8 years was significantly associated with a 23 to 26% decrease in survival in men taking combination antiretroviral therapy for HIV in the USA. Wang 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• 96.5% of men aged 40-59 years in Europe died in the following 45-50 years; 20 factors were significantly predictive of mortality. Menotti 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• Standardised mortality rates of UK patients with chronic respiratory disease was 1607/100,000 persons in 2005-2015: 856/100,000 for asthma, 1503 for COPD, 2609 for interstitial lung disease, 1463 for bronchiectasis. Gayle 2019 Go to paper on PubMed
• Patients in Taiwan who received less than 2 years of endocrine therapy for breast cancer had significantly lower survival than those with longer therapy; those taking tamoxifen had shorter duration of therapy (3.29 years) but higher survival (86.1%) compared with aromatase inhibitors. Chang 2019 Go to paper on PubMed 
• Ten-year survival in head and neck cancer in the USA ranged from 51% for hypopharyngeal cancer to 87% for oropharyngeal cancer. Du 2019 Go to paper on PubMed
• Overall mortality rate after surgery for congenital heart disease in the USA was 3.5% and was significantly lower in hospitals managing >150 cases per year; 25% of patients travelled >100 miles to attend for surgery. Welke 2019 Go to paper on PubMed
• Myocardial infarction occurred in 5.4% of patients within 10 years of admission for acute ischaemic stroke in the UK and increased the risk of mortality by 2 to 3-fold. Pana 2019 Go to paper on PubMed
• Age-standardised all-cause mortality of adults aged 45 years and older in China was 798.2/100,000 person-years in men and 716.7/100,000 in women; ageing, diabetes and osteoporosis independently predicted mortality in men and women, and smoking in men. Wu 2019 Go to paper on PubMed