Economic evaluation alongside ARTISTIC - (A Randomised Trial In Screening To Improve Cytology)

Staff involved: Robin Dowie, Boyka Stoykova

Funding: NHS HTA R&D Programme

Finish date: 2009

Brief summary:
The ARTISTIC trial is investigating the role of Human Papilloma Virus (HPV)  testing within the national cervical screening programme. The trial is taking place in Manchester, Stockport, Wigan, Leigh, Salford and Trafford, and began in June 2001. The study population comprises 25,000 women aged 20-64 who are attending general practices for routine cervical screening and who consent to having an HPV test.

The economic evaluation should provide evidence on the costs and benefits of adding HPV testing to liquid based cytology (LBC), provide an estimate of the effectiveness and costs of HPV as a stand-alone test, and address methodological issues in HPV testing. The perspective of the study is the National Health Service.

Cost-effectiveness results will be presented as an incremental cost per additional high grade smear detected, and as an incremental cost per life year gained and per quality adjusted life year gained (estimated by extrapolating from the trial endpoint using modelling techniques).  Utilities for the cost-utility analysis will be elicited by means of a time trade-off survey.

Principal investigator: Professor Henry Kitchener, Professor of Gynaecological Oncology, Academic Unit of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, University of Manchester.  

HTA link

Controlled Trials link

Publications

Kitchener HC, Almonte M et al. on behalf of the ARTISTIC Trial Study Group (2006) HPV testing in routine cervical screening: cross sectional data from the ARTISTIC trial, British Journal of Cancer 95(1):56-61.

Dowie R, Stoykova B et al.(2006) Assessing the wellbeing of cytoscreeners: experience in two NHS laboratories, Cytopathology Dec;17(6):366-373 Abstract

Dowie R, Stoykova B et al.(2006) Liquid based cytology can improve efficiency of cervical smear readers - evidence from timing surveys in two NHS cytology laboratories, Cytopathology Apr;17(2):65-72. Abstract