Does Variation in Either Age at Start of Therapy or Duration of Therapy Make Chemoprevention with Finasteride Cost-Effective?

The study evaluated the cost-effectiveness of finasteride as a chemoprevention therapy for prostate cancer by varying the age at which therapy starts and its duration. Using a Markov model, the study found that starting finasteride at age 65 and continuing until age 80 was the most cost-effective strategy, with an incremental cost-effective ratio (ICER) of $65,600 per quality-adjusted life year (QALY). The analysis showed that starting therapy at age 50 had a higher ICER of $86,600 per QALY, and the cost-effectiveness decreased when therapy was initiated at older ages, peaking again at age 80. The findings suggested that the optimal age to begin finasteride for cost-effectiveness was 65, assuming equal effectiveness across ages and treatment durations.