For the base case analyses, costs, and health benefits were discounted at a 3.5% rate per annum.
In addition, several scenario analyses were undertaken in order to assess the robustness of the assumptions made in the base-case analyses and to explore the validity of the model.
We performed threshold analyses on the proportion of chemotherapy-treated women classified as being in the intermediate risk group by the RS-assay, on the risk of relapse in the RS-assay model and other parameters found to influence our base case analyses (Tables 4 and 5).
In the base case analyses, we included screening and treatment costs as presented in table 2. Base case organisational costs for one-sample FIT screening were based on the Dutch cervical cancer screening programme, adjusted for differences with FIT screening.
The results of the 10-year base case analyses are presented in Table 22 (event numbers) and Table 3 (costs).
The base case analyses assumed 80% to 96% coverage depending on age in infants and children, 75% in adolescents, 40% with routine adult vaccination, and 65% in parents of newborns [25].
For the base case analyses the data from the two treatment groups (tiotropium and control) were combined.
Base case analyses were conducted using the epidemiological, market share, cost, and resource use figures given earlier.
In accordance with the World Health Organization's guide to cost-effectiveness analyses, costs and QALYs were discounted at 3% annually for the base case analyses, but further sensitivity analyses were also conducted using a 6% annual discount rate for costs and a 0% annual discount rate for QALYs [ 30, 31].
