Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40214895›Full record

ArticleHealth economics review2025

Safety, efficacy, and cost-effectiveness evaluation of systemic treatments for refractory colorectal cancer: a systematic review and modeling study.

Mingye Zhao, Yunlin Jiang, Taihang Shao, Wenxi Tang

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Health economics review, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Mingye Zhao *Department of Pharmacoeconomics, School of International Pharmaceutical Business, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.
Yunlin Jiang *Yueyang Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China.
Taihang ShaoSchool of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Ma Liu Shui, China.
Wenxi TangDepartment of Pharmacoeconomics, School of International Pharmaceutical Business, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China. tokammy@cpu.edu.cn.

Funding

General Program of National Natural Science Foundation of China 72174207
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesTo conduct pooled estimates and comparative evaluations of safety and efficacy, alongside cost-effectiveness and value-based pricing analyses, for systemic treatments recommended by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network in refractory colorectal cancer.

methodsA comprehensive search for related randomized controlled trials was conducted on PubMed, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, and ClinicalTrials.gov. Safety was evaluated by aggregating treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs) and performing Bayesian network meta-analysis (NMA) for indirect comparisons. Pooled survival estimates of overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were conducted to assess treatment efficacy. For NMA of OS and PFS, time-variant fractional polynomial models were employed as the primary analysis, with Cox proportional hazards models used for result validation. Economic evaluations were performed using partitioned survival models from the US public sector perspective. Clinical parameters were sourced from meta-analyses; cost parameters included drug treatment, follow-up and administration, end-of-life care, and adverse event management expenses, which were obtained from the Federal Supply Schedule, public databases or published literature. Utility values were sourced from the CORRECT trial. Price simulations were also conducted. Robustness of results was confirmed by sensitivity and scenario analyses

resultsWe included nine studies comprising 3,978 patients and incorporating six treatments recommended by NCCN, including best supportive care (BSC), regorafenib, regorafenib dose optimization (REDo), trifluridine/tipiracil (TAS-102), TAS-102 with bevacizumab (TAS-BEV), and fruquintinib. Targeted treatments increased serious TRAEs and grade 3 + TRAEs compared to BSC. However, no significant safety differences were found among the targeted therapies. Regarding efficacy, REDo led in median OS, while fruquintinib led in median PFS. NMA indicated that TAS-BEV had the greatest PFS and OS survival benefit, followed by fruquintinib and REDo. Cost-effectiveness analysis favored BSC as the least expensive and the most cost-effective profile. TAS-BEV had the greatest effectiveness, with TAS-102 being the most cost-effective among targeted therapies. For cost-effectiveness against BSC, the price reductions of TAS-102, fruquintinib, REDoS, regorafenib, and TAS-BEV were 39%, 24%, 14%, 8%, and 7%, respectively.

conclusionsTargeted therapies have comparable safety; TAS-BEV is highly effective, TAS-102 is the top cost-effective targeted therapy. Treatment choice should balance individual patient needs with safety, efficacy, and cost.

Indexed as

Cost-effectivenessEfficacyIndividual patient data meta-analysisRefractory colorectal cancerSafety

Identifiers

PMID40214895
PMCPMC11987259

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.