Long-term cost-effectiveness of a melanoma prevention program using genomic risk information compared with standard prevention advice in Australia

Purpose: Evidence indicates that a melanoma prevention program using personalized genomic risk provision and genetic counseling can affect prevention behaviors, including reducing sunburns in adults with no melanoma history. This analysis evaluated its longer-term costeffectiveness from an Australian health system perspective. Methods: The primary outcome was incremental cost effectiveness ratio (ICER) of genomic risk provision (intervention) compared with standard prevention advice. A decision-analytic Markov model was developed using randomized trial data to simulate lifetime cost-effectiveness. All costs were presented in 2018/19 Australian dollars (AUD). The intervention effect on reduced sunburns was stratified by sex and traditional risk, which was calculated through a validated prediction model. Deterministic and probabilistic sensitivity analyses were undertaken for robustness checks. Results: The per participant cost of intervention was AUD$189. Genomic risk provision targeting high-traditional risk individuals produced an ICER of AUD$35,254 (per quality-adjusted life year gained); sensitivity analyses indicated the intervention would be cost-effective in more than 50% of scenarios. When the intervention was extended to low-traditional risk groups, the ICER was AUD$43,746 with a 45% probability of being cost-effective. Conclusion: Genomic risk provision targeted to high-traditional melanoma risk individuals is likely a cost-effective strategy for reducing sunburns and will likely prevent future melanomas and keratinocyte carcinomas. (c) 2023 American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

This study evaluates the long-term cost-effectiveness of a melanoma prevention program using personalized genomic risk provision and genetic counseling. The results show that targeting high-risk individuals with genomic risk provision is a cost-effective strategy for reducing sunburns.