- 60 percent reduction of MRI (Magnetic resonance imaging) procedures
- 39 percent reduction of overdiagnostics
- Cost effective for population-based screening
A3P Biomedical AB today announced that a cost-utility analysis based on the STHLM3 MRI trial was published in European Urology (1). The analysis concluded that a Stockholm3 based screening strategy would be cost effective and could reduce the need of MRI with 60 percent and, at the same time, reduce overdiagnostics with 39 percent compared to using PSA and MRI.
“Combining the Stockholm3 blood test with MRI is state-of-the-art for early detection of prostate cancer. This publication demonstrates the significant gains predicted by introducing screening based on Stockholm3: reduced mortality and a significant reduction in MRIs and biopsies, driving the cost-effectiveness already seen at the healthcare providers who have implemented Stockholm3 in Scandinavia,” said David Rosén, CEO at A3P Biomedical.
Last year, the results from the STHLM3 MRI trial were fast-tracked and published in The Lancet Oncology. The results also won the first prize for best Oncology abstract at the EAU congress (2).
This week, a cost-utility analysis based on the STHLM3 MRI trial was published in European Urology (1). The analysis was conducted from a lifetime societal perspective using a microsimulation model for men in Sweden aged 55-69 and compared no screening with three quadrennial screening strategies, including PSA and Stockholm3.
Men with a value above the threshold for either PSA or Stockholm3 had an MRI, and those MRI positive had combined targeted and systematic biopsies. Predictions included the number of tests, cancer incidence and mortality, costs, quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) and incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs). Uncertainties in key parameters were assessed using sensitivity analyses.
Compared with no screening, the screening strategies were considered to have moderate costs per QALY gained in Sweden. Using Stockholm3 resulted in a 60 percent reduction in MRI and a 39 percent reduction in overdiagnostics compared with screening using PSA before MRI. The Stockholm3 screening strategy was found to be cost effective and reduce screening-related harms while maintaining the health benefits from early detection.
(1) Cost-effectiveness of Stockholm3 test and magnetic resonance imaging in prostate cancer screening: A microsimulation study; Hao et al, European Urology 2022.
(2) European Association of Urology (EAU) Congress 2021.
For additional information, please contact:
David Rosen, CEO
telephone: +46 10 1823325
email: david.rosen@a3pbiomedical.com
About A3P Biomedical
A3P Biomedical’s mission is to improve quality of life of men by radically increasing the precision in prostate cancer diagnostics.
The company’s lead product is Stockholm3, a blood test for early detection of aggressive prostate cancer. The test has been developed by scientists at Karolinska Institutet. A total of SEK 750 million has been invested in clinical research and product development activities of Stockholm3. A3P Biomedical is headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden. For more information, please visit www.a3p.com.
About Stockholm3
Stockholm3 is a blood test that combines protein markers, genetic markers, clinical data, and a proprietary algorithm, to predict the risk of aggressive prostate cancer. Stockholm3 finds 100 percent more aggressive prostate cancers and in the same time reduces 50 percent of unnecessary biopsies compared to current practice with PSA (3).
Stockholm3 has been evaluated in clinical studies including more than 75,000 men. Data from the latest pivotal study, a randomized study including 12,750 men, was published in The Lancet Oncology in 2021. Multiple studies have been published in high-impact journals, including a previous study with 58,000 men, published in The Lancet Oncology in 2015 (3).
Based on robust peer-reviewed clinical data, leading Nordic healthcare providers such as Capio S:t Görans Hospital in Sweden and Stavanger University Hospital in Norway have replaced PSA with Stockholm3. Patients benefit from a more precise test and clearer results. Forhealthcare providers, the direct healthcare costs can be reduced by 17 to 28 percent (3).
(3) Publications, results and clinical validation.
About prostate cancer
Prostate cancer is the second most common male cancer, and the fifth leading cause of cancer related death in men worldwide. In 2020, 1.4 million men were diagnosed with prostate cancer and 375,000 deaths were reported by GLOBOCAN. Incidence of prostate cancer is expected to increase by 70 percent until 2040, driven by an aging population.