Earlier cancer diagnosis in primary care: a feasibility economic analysis of ThinkCancer!

Background: UK cancer survival rates are much lower compared with other high- income countries. In primary care, there are opportunities for GPs and other healthcare professionals to act more quickly in response to presented symptoms that might represent cancer. ThinkCancer! is a complex behaviour change intervention aimed at primary care practice teams to improve the timely diagnosis of cancer. Aim: To explore the costs of delivering the ThinkCancer! intervention to expedite cancer diagnosis in primary care. Design & setting: Feasibility economic analysis using a micro- costing approach, which was undertaken in 19 general practices in Wales, UK. Method: From an NHS perspective, micro- costing methodology was used to determine whether it was feasible to gather sufficient economic data to cost the ThinkCancer! intervention. Owing to the COVID- 19 pandemic, ThinkCancer! was mainly delivered remotely online in a digital format. Budget impact analysis (BIA) and sensitivity analysis were conducted to explore the costs of face- to- face delivery of the ThinkCancer! intervention as intended pre- COVID- 19. Results: The total costs of delivering the ThinkCancer! intervention across 19 general practices in Wales was 25 pound 030, with an average cost per practice of 1317 pound (standard deviation [SD]: 578.2). Findings from the BIA indicated a total cost of 34 pound 630 for face- to- face delivery. Conclusion: Data collection methods were successful in gathering sufficient health economics data to cost the ThinkCancer! intervention. Results of this feasibility study will be used to inform a future definitive economic evaluation alongside a pragmatic randomised controlled trial (RCT).

Automated summary

This study aimed to explore the costs of implementing the ThinkCancer! intervention in primary care. The results showed that the total costs of delivering the intervention were relatively high.