New analysis in European Urology finds Stockholm3 cost effective for population-based screening
January 28, 2022
60 percent reduction of MRI (Magnetic resonance imaging) procedures
39 percent reduction of overdiagnostics
Cost effective for population-based screening
A3P Biomedical AB today announced that a cost-utility analysis based on the STHLM3 MRI trial was published in European Urology (1). The analysis concluded that a Stockholm3 based screening strategy would be cost effective and could reduce the need of MRI with 60 percent and, at the same time, reduce overdiagnostics with 39 percent compared to using PSA and MRI.
“Combining the Stockholm3 blood test with MRI is state-of-the-art for early detection of prostate cancer. This publication demonstrates the significant gains predicted by introducing screening based on Stockholm3: reduced mortality and a significant reduction in MRIs and biopsies, driving the cost-effectiveness already seen at the healthcare providers who have implemented Stockholm3 in Scandinavia,” said David Rosén, CEO at A3P Biomedical.
Last year, the results from the STHLM3 MRI trial were fast-tracked and published in The Lancet Oncology. The results also won the first prize for best Oncology abstract at the EAU congress (2).
This week, a cost-utility analysis based on the STHLM3 MRI trial was published in European Urology (1). The analysis was conducted from a lifetime societal perspective using a microsimulation model for men in Sweden aged 55-69 and compared no screening with three quadrennial screening strategies, including PSA and Stockholm3.
Men with a value above the threshold for either PSA or Stockholm3 had an MRI, and those MRI positive had combined targeted and systematic biopsies. Predictions included the number of tests, cancer incidence and mortality, costs, quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) and incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs). Uncertainties in key parameters were assessed using sensitivity analyses.
Compared with no screening, the screening strategies were considered to have moderate costs per QALY gained in Sweden. Using Stockholm3 resulted in a 60 percent reduction in MRI and a 39 percent reduction in overdiagnostics compared with screening using PSA before MRI. The Stockholm3 screening strategy was found to be cost effective and reduce screening-related harms while maintaining the health benefits from early detection.
(1) Cost-effectiveness of Stockholm3 test and magnetic resonance imaging in prostate cancer screening: A microsimulation study; Hao et al, European Urology 2022.
(2) European Association of Urology (EAU) Congress 2021.
About A3P Biomedical
A3P Biomedical is a company that specializes in advanced prostate cancer diagnostics. A3P’s main product, Stockholm3, is a clinically and commercially validated blood test for early detection and risk stratification of aggressive prostate cancer. A3P Biomedical is headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden. For more information, please visit www.a3p.com
About Stockholm3
Stockholm3 is a blood-based test, that runs a combination of protein biomarkers, genetic biomarkers and clinical information through an algorithm to find the probability of clinically significant cancer at biopsy.
Stockholm3 has been evaluated in clinical studies including more than 90,000 men. It is extensively tested in large population-based screening trials, as well as in real world clinical utility studies in primary care, as a reflex test to PSA at values 1.5-20 ng/ml. Benefits include the ability to reduce unnecessary MRIs, benign and Grade Group 1 prostate biopsies for men with elevated PSA, while simultaneously improving detection of clinically significant cancers in men with low or normal PSA values. Using Stockholm3 leads to a more accurate risk assessment than the current PSA standard. Stockholm3 detects 40-90% more men with aggressive prostate cancer and, at the same time, reduces over-detection by 40-50% compared to PSA.
Multiple Stockholm3 studies have been published in high-impact journals such as The Lancet Oncology, Journal of Clinical Oncology, and European Urology. The studies address both the specificity and sensitivity of Stockholm3 in multi-ethnic populations as well as health-economic benefits of implementing it in clinical care. For more information about our clinical studies please visit www.a3p.com.
About prostate cancer
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men. In 2020, the global incidence of new prostate cancer cases was 1.4 million, and prostate cancer specific mortality 370,000. Global prostate cancer incidence and mortality is expected to rise by 100% and 85% respectively by 2040, driven by an ageing population.
Press contact:
Cecilia Edström
cecilia.edstrom@a3p.com
+46 72 226 2328