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What is the Impact of the Analysis Method Used for Health State Utility Values on QALYs in Oncology? A Simulation Study Comparing Progression-Based and Time-to-Death Approaches

Hatswell, Anthony J; Bullement, Ash; Schlichting, Michael; Bharmal, Murtuza; (2020) What is the Impact of the Analysis Method Used for Health State Utility Values on QALYs in Oncology? A Simulation Study Comparing Progression-Based and Time-to-Death Approaches. Applied Health Economics and Health Policy , 19 (3) pp. 389-401. 10.1007/s40258-020-00620-6. Green open access

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Abstract

Background: Health state utility values (‘utilities’) are an integral part of health technology assessment. Though traditionally categorised by disease status in oncology (i.e. progression), several recent assessments have adopted values calculated according to the time that measures were recorded before death. We conducted a simulation study to understand the limitations of each approach, with a focus on mismatches between the way utilities are generated, and analysed. Methods: Survival times were simulated based on published literature, with permutations of three utility generation mechanisms (UGMs) and utility analysis methods (UAMs): (1) progression based, (2) time-to-death based, and (3) a ‘combination approach’. For each analysis quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) were estimated. Goodness of fit was assessed via percentage mean error (%ME) and mean absolute error (%MAE). Scenario analyses were performed varying individual parameters, with complex scenarios mimicking published studies. The statistical code is provided for transparency and to aid future work in the area. Results: %ME and %MAE were lowest when the correct analysis form was specified (i.e. UGM and UAM aligned). Underestimates were produced when a time-to-death element was present in the UGM but not included in the UAM, while the ‘combined’ UAM produced overestimates irrespective of the UGM. Scenario analysis demonstrated the importance of the volume of available data beyond the initial time period, for example follow-up. Conclusions: We show that the use of an incorrectly or over-specified UAM can result in substantial bias in the estimation of utilities. We present a flowchart to highlight the issues that may be faced.

Type: Article
Title: What is the Impact of the Analysis Method Used for Health State Utility Values on QALYs in Oncology? A Simulation Study Comparing Progression-Based and Time-to-Death Approaches
Location: New Zealand
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1007/s40258-020-00620-6
Publisher version: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40258-020-00620-6
Language: English
Additional information: Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License, which permits any non-commercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/.
Keywords: Social Sciences, Science & Technology, Life Sciences & Biomedicine, Economics, Health Care Sciences & Services, Health Policy & Services, Business & Economics
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Maths and Physical Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Maths and Physical Sciences > Dept of Statistical Science
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10163014
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