Word of the month: Prevention
Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October brings public attention to an issue that affects many people directly or indirectly. Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women. Around two-thirds of all cases belong to the so-called HR+/HER2− subtype. Although this subtype is considered comparatively less aggressive, metastatic recurrence remains incurable. This makes therapies that reduce the risk of recurrence at an early stage all the more important.
Preventing recurrence goes beyond medical metrics. For patients, it is about both the quantity and quality of life, as well as family, daily routines, and professional life. At the same time, the disease has profound implications for the healthcare system and society as a whole. This is precisely where health economics research comes in.
Our study* analyzed 1,340 patients with stage II or III HR+/HER2− breast cancer who met the treatment criteria under investigation in Austria in 2022. The results showed that targeted therapy could prevent approximately 200 recurrences and 1,000 years lived with metastatic breast cancer over a 30-year horizon. As a result, societal follow-up costs could be reduced by €43 million to €52 million.
Analyses of this kind help evaluate the value of treatments beyond clinical efficacy alone, making healthcare investments more transparent from an economic perspective. In doing so, health economics provides important evidence for health policy decision-making while never losing sight of what matters most: human life and quality of life.
*Die Studie „Reducing breast cancer recurrences with CDK4/6 inhibitor treatment of HR-positive, HER2-negative early stage breast cancer from a societal perspective“ wurde gemeinsam mit Gabriel Rinnerthaler, Onkologe mit Schwerpunkt Brustkrebs an der Universitätsklinik Graz und der Unterstützung von Novartis Österreich durchgeführt.
Stephanie Reitzinger
IHS Researcher
Health Systems and Health Policy
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