• The cost of incorporating bevacizumab for treatment of cervical cancer is driven by drug costs not management of bevacizumab-induced complications.• The availability of less expensive biosimilars is predicted to result in dramatic reductions in the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio. Objective. To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of bevacizumab in recurrent/persistent and metastatic cervical cancer using recently reported updated survival and toxicology data.
a b s t r a c t a r t i c l e i n f oMethods. A Markov decision tree based on the Gynecologic Oncology Group 240 randomized trial was created. The 2013 MediCare Services Drug Payment Table and Physician Fee Schedule provided costs. In the 5-year model subjects transitioned through the following states: response, progression, minor complications, severe complications, and death. Patients experiencing a health utility per month according to treatment effectiveness were calculated. Because cervical cancer survival is measured in months rather than years, results were reported in both quality adjusted cervical cancer life months and years (QALmonth, QALY), adjusted from a baseline of having advanced cervical cancer during a month.Results. The estimated total cost of therapy with bevacizumab is approximately 13.2 times that for chemotherapy alone, adding $73,791 per 3.5 months (0.29 year) of life gained, resulting in an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of $21.083 per month of added life. The ICER increased to $5775 per month of added life and $24,597/QALmonth ($295,164/QALY) due to the smaller difference in QALmonths. With 75% bevacizumab cost reduction, the ICER is $6737/QALmonth ($80,844/QALY), which translates to $23,580 for the 3.5 month (0.29 year) gain in OS.Conclusions. Increased costs are primarily related to the cost of drug and not the management of bevacizumab-induced complications. Cost reductions in bevacizumab result in dramatic declines in the ICER, suggesting that cost reconciliation in advanced cervical cancer may be possible through the availability of biosimilars, and/or less expensive, equally efficacious anti-angiogenesis agents.
We report a rare example of signet-ring stromal tumor that is bilateral and multinodular mimicking a Krukenberg tumor. Awareness of this unusual presentation can help prevent incorrect diagnosis.
Methylation of DNA occurs most readily at N(3), N(7), and O(6) of purine bases and N(3) and O(2) of pyrimidines. Methylated bases are continuously formed through endogenous and exogenous mechanisms. The results of a theoretical ab initio study on the methylation of G:C base pair components are reported. The geometries of the local minima were optimized without symmetry restrictions by the gradient procedure at DFT level of theory and were verified by energy second derivative calculations. The standard 6-31G(d) basis set was used. The single-point calculations have been performed at the MP2/6-31G(d,p), MP2/6-31++G(d,p), and MP2/6-311++G(2d,2p) levels of theory. The geometrical parameters, relative stability and counterpoise corrected interaction energies are reported. Also, using a variation-perturbation energy decomposition scheme we have found the vital contributions to the total interaction energy.
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