Cost-effectiveness of oral cancer screening in Hungary

Introduction: The burden of oral cancer is high in Hungary. Aim: To study the cost-effectiveness of potential oral cancer screening in Hungary. Method: Three strategies were compared: no introduction of screening, organized yearly screening for 40-year-old males in general medical practise, and opportunistic screening of high risk 40-year-old males in primary care. Local estimates of health utilities and costs of each health state and of the screening programmes were identified. The main outcomes were total costs, quality adjusted life years, and incremental cost-effectiveness ratios. Results: Depending on the efficacy of the treatments of precancerous lesions and the participation rate, screening strategies are cost-effective over a 15-20 year time course. The opportunistic screening of high risk people is more cost-effective than the other strategies. Conclusions: Opportunistic screening of high risk people would be cost-effective in Hungary. The uncertainty about the efficacy of the treatments of precancerous lesions requires more research to support evidence based health policy making.