Med Tech-related health technology assessments from NIHR in December 2023

The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) funds valuable independent research for health and social care decision-makers in England. Reports from the Health Technology Assessment (HTA) Programme are published in the NIHR HTA Journal and inform NICE guidance. 

In December 2023, two MedTech-related assessments were published in the NIHR HTA Journal:

• Ablative and non-surgical therapies for early and very early hepatocellular carcinoma, based on a systematic review and network meta-analysis. The aim of the study was to review and compare the effectiveness of all current ablative and non-surgical therapies for patients with small hepatocellular carcinoma (≤ 3 cm). It was concluded that the existing evidence base has limitations (many studies are small and of poor quality, and for some ablative therapies, no comparative studies were identified). The uptake of specific ablative therapies in the UK appears to be based more on technological advancements and ease of use than strong evidence of clinical effectiveness. However, there is evidence that percutaneous ethanol injection and percutaneous acid injection are inferior to radiofrequency ablation, microwave ablation, and resection;
• Treatment of Hidradenitis Suppurativa Evaluation Study: the THESEUS prospective cohort study. The design comprised a prospective 12-month observational cohort study, including five treatment options, with nested qualitative interviews and an end-of-study consensus workshop. The treatment options included pharmacotherapy, laser treatment targeting the hair follicle -  neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet (Nd-YAG) or alexandrite, deroofing, and conventional surgery. It was not possible to characterize conventional surgery due to the low number of participants. The study established deroofing and laser treatment for hidradenitis suppurativa in the UK and developed a network of ten sites for subsequent randomized controlled trials. Deroofing and laser treatment are considered preferred interventions for future trials compared with oral antibiotics or conventional surgery.

See the full details here and here.

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