Cancer

At the beginning of 2020, the Galician Scientific and Technical Advice Unit released a health technology assessment on the treatment of benign thyroid nodules (TNs) by thermal laser or radiofrequency ablation that aimed to assess its safety and clinical effectiveness compared to standard treatment. The methods were considered safe and effective procedures for the treatment of benign, solid, and symptomatic TNs.

At the beginning of 2020, the Galician Scientific and Technical Advice Unit released a health technology assessment on irreversible electroporation (IRE) for the treatment of liver and pancreatic cancer that aimed to analyze its safety, effectiveness, considerations for use, and the economic, organizational, social, ethical, or legal aspects. The efficacy evidence of IRE in achieving complete ablation is insufficient. Safety evidence is also insufficient as it is unclear whether IRE is safer as the standard treatment.

In Norway, the mini-HTA for Localizer™ wire-free guidance system designed to mark and guide to non-palpable breast lesions was released at the end of January 2020. The method was determined as efficient and safe. It was recommended to be introduced as part of the clinical routine in the hospital.

The HTA unit of the Lombardy region opens the possibility for the public to comment on the health technologies which are in the assessment phase. The call is open until February 28, 2020.

From January 2020, the "Oncotype DX Breast Recurrence Score" test is reimbursed by the health insurance companies at an extra budget of 3,296.50€. This is explicitly the only test that the Federal Joint Committee (G-BA) has included in the contracted medical care.

At the start of the organized program for the early detection of cervical cancer on January 1, 2020, several new services will be added to the EBM (Einheitlicher Bewertungsmaβstab, German Uniform Evaluation Standard).

In late November 2019, the network of European HTA agencies, EUnetHTA, announced the final plan of the project OTCA23 “Biodegradable rectum spacers to reduce toxicity for prostate cancer.”

In November 2019, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published two new diagnostics guidance (for point-of-care creatinine devices and rapid tests for group A streptococcal infections), one new interventional procedure guidance (for irreversible electroporation for primary liver cancer) and two new MedTech innovation briefings (for Leukomed Sorbact for preventing surgical site infection and AmnioSense for unexplained vaginal wetness in pregnancy).

On the 10th of December 2019, the Austrian HTA body, the Ludwig-Boltzmann Institute (LBI-HTA) has released a report on the implementation of an HPV screening test for the early detection of cervical cancer in women as a measure of cervical cancer prevention. The recommendations are positive.

In late November 2019, new HTA activities were published on the website of regional HTA program of Lombardy Region, after a period of inactivity. Twenty-six (26) new technologies are currently in various stages of the HTA process, and they should all be completed in 2020.

In October 2019, the Agency for Health Quality and Assessment of Catalonia (AQuAS) has released an assessment report regarding the scientific evidence on personalized population screening for breast cancer. The current evidence does not allow to recommend any concrete models for individualized risk prediction for breast cancer but allows to recommend the development and evaluation of new models for personalized risk prediction directed to offering different strategies to the screening of population.

In September 2019, the French High Authority for Health released an assessment report for analysis on DNA chips (ACPA) in different types of oncological conditions to determine its place in comparison with more conventionally used techniques. The ACPA allows to detect a large number of copy number of variations at the whole genome level, ploidy abnormalities, and heterozygosity losses; it is of interest as a cytogenetic technique with some specific advantages among existing technologies.