CTC has the potential to provide a cost-effective option for CRC screening in the UK NHS and may be cost saving compared with the current programme of biennial FOBT. Further analysis is required to assess the impact of introducing CTC to the UK CRC screening programme on the NHS budget and capacity.

adding CTC into the existing NHS Bowel Cancer Screening Programme as part of a preventive screening strategy could be less costly to the NHS over the longer term when used to triage FOBT-positive patients to appropriate follow-up. Increased demand for radiology services may be compensated for by reduced demand in endoscopy units.

The direct annual per-patient cost of NP-C illness in 2007 appears moderate when compared with other rare and severely disabling diseases. However, cost estimates may be conservative, since findings are limited by a small sample size, low survey response rate and potential recall bias. As demonstrated by this study, a substantial proportion of the cost is shifted from the healthcare system to the patient, family and non-medical providers. These findings highlight the need for treatments that can slow or stop disease progression in NP-C.

Varenicline is expected to be a cost-effective aid to smoking cessation in COPD patients in all of the countries studied.

No abstract