Cancer

On December 4, 2024, the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) launched a consultation on whether to offer human papillomavirus (HPV) self-sampling option to under-screened people in the cervical cancer screening program alongside traditional clinician-collected sampling by a nurse or doctor. The deadline for comments submission is February 26, 2025.

On October 31, 2024, the Swiss Federal Statistics Office (UFS) released the systematic version of the procedure code (CHOP) nomenclature for 2025. The nomenclature is now available in German, Italian, and French languages and will come into force on January 1, 2025. Multiple new procedure codes were introduced in various fields, including endoscopy, extracorporeal treatments, in-vitro diagnostics, interventional radiology, obstetrics and gynecology, orthopedics, and radiotherapy.

In September 2024, the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) in England released three MedTech-related assessments in its Health Technology Assessment (HTA) Journal, which concerned hyperthermic intraoperative peritoneal chemotherapy and cytoreductive surgery in peritoneal metastases, resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of the aorta in life-threatening torso hemorrhage, and clopidogrel resistance genotype testing. HTA Journal publishes research reports on the effectiveness, costs, and broader impact of health technologies for those who use, manage, and provide care in the NHS and informs National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance.

In August 2024, the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) in England released eight MedTech-related assessments in its Health Technology Assessment (HTA) Journal, which concerned automated devices for identifying peripheral arterial disease, left ventricular assist devices as destination therapy, cerclage suture type to prevent pregnancy loss, gynecological cancer surveillance in Lynch syndrome, multiparametric MRI in bladder cancer pathway, in-home monitoring for people with glaucoma, real-time ultrasound elastography of thyroid nodules, and AI-based software for analyzing chest X-ray images. HTA Journal publishes research reports on the effectiveness, costs, and broader impact of health technologies for those who use, manage, and provide care in the NHS and informs National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance.

In August 2024, NICE prioritization board decisions were published regarding the following Med Tech-related topics: clinical guidelines on lower urinary tract symptoms in men (prioritized), NPi-200 for pupillary light reflex in critical care (not prioritized), Aquablation robotic therapy in benign prostatic hyperplasia (not prioritized), and tumor treating fields in glioblastoma (not prioritized).

Molecular gene profile analysis (Oncotype DX) was evaluated within the "New Methods" framework starting in 2021. On August 26, 2024, the Decision Forum for "New Methods" recommended Oncotype DX to be introduced to predict the benefit of chemotherapy in postmenopausal patients with lymph node-positive, estrogen receptor-positive (ER+), human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 negative (HER2-) early-stage invasive breast cancer.

NICE recently introduced a new centralized approach to prioritizing topics for its guidance and a decision-making body - a prioritization board. In July 2024, the decisions of the prioritization board were first published by NICE. Sixteen topics were prioritized, twenty were not prioritized, and one was withdrawn.

On August 2, 2024, the HAS published positive opinions on the inclusion of targeted high-throughput sequencing of gene panels in the medical management of lung cancer, gastrointestinal stromal tumors, and chronic lymphocytic leukemia in the NABM Nomenclature. This is a consequence of the efforts to disburden the innovation funding budget and clean the List of IVD tests outside the Nomenclature (Liste des actes hors nomenclatures, AHN, i.e., the merged 2023 RIHN List and the Supplementary List funded outside Statutory Health Insurance via the research and innovation budget).

On July 1, 2024, the National Institute for Health and Disability Insurance (INAMI/RIZIV) introduced a new agreement (Convention), which allows permanent reimbursement for molecular biology tests by next-generation sequencing (NGS) in oncology and hemato-oncology. The tests were reimbursed temporarily in the context of the pilot Convention from 2019. Fifty-one new pseudo-nomenclature codes with tariffs were introduced. The pseudocode descriptions specify the indication, while certain biomarkers and reimbursement conditions are mentioned as notes to the code.

In July 2024, the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) released an annual report from April 1, 2023 to March 31, 2024. The report provides a summary of the Committee’s ongoing work and accomplishments, including recommendations regarding the introduction of national population screening programs.

On July 12, 2024, the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) announced a new task group for multi-cancer detection (MCD) tests. The group will review different methods for the evaluation of MCDs, from which UK NSC is expected to derive a position statement and develop a roadmap for a possible MCD screening program.

On July 2, 2024, the revised EBM (German Uniform Evaluation Standard) catalog for the third quarter of 2024 was published. The changes introduced mainly concern updating the content of several EBM sections with the respective comments and/or clarifications and introducing the new EBM codes for several companion diagnostics tests, for follow-up and evaluation of the “Kranus Lutera” health app, and for the services provided within the co-funded study on bronchoscopic lung volume reduction in severe pulmonary emphysema using thermal ablation (rp-RL BTVA).