Validation of Models Used to Inform Colorectal Cancer Screening Guidelines

Background: Microsimulation models synthesize evidence about disease processes and interventions, providing a method for predicting long-Term benefits and harms of prevention, screening, and treatment strategies. Because models often require assumptions about unobservable processes, assessing a mode...

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Main Authors: Rutter, C., Knudsen, A., Marsh, T., Doria-Rose, V., Johnson, E., Pabiniak, C., Kuntz, K., Van Ballegooijen, M., Zauber, A., Lansdorp_Vogelaar, Iris
Format: Journal Article
Published: Sage Publications, Inc. 2015
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/49961
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author Rutter, C.
Knudsen, A.
Marsh, T.
Doria-Rose, V.
Johnson, E.
Pabiniak, C.
Kuntz, K.
Van Ballegooijen, M.
Zauber, A.
Lansdorp_Vogelaar, Iris
author_facet Rutter, C.
Knudsen, A.
Marsh, T.
Doria-Rose, V.
Johnson, E.
Pabiniak, C.
Kuntz, K.
Van Ballegooijen, M.
Zauber, A.
Lansdorp_Vogelaar, Iris
author_sort Rutter, C.
building Curtin Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description Background: Microsimulation models synthesize evidence about disease processes and interventions, providing a method for predicting long-Term benefits and harms of prevention, screening, and treatment strategies. Because models often require assumptions about unobservable processes, assessing a model's predictive accuracy is important. Methods: We validated 3 colorectal cancer (CRC) microsimulation models against outcomes from the United Kingdom Flexible Sigmoidoscopy Screening (UKFSS) Trial, a randomized controlled trial that examined the effectiveness of one-Time flexible sigmoidoscopy screening to reduce CRC mortality. The models incorporate different assumptions about the time from adenoma initiation to development of preclinical and symptomatic CRC. Analyses compare model predictions to study estimates across a range of outcomes to provide insight into the accuracy of model assumptions. Results: All 3 models accurately predicted the relative reduction in CRC mortality 10 years after screening (predicted hazard ratios, with 95% percentile intervals: 0.56 [0.44, 0.71], 0.63 [0.51, 0.75], 0.68 [0.53, 0.83]; estimated with 95% confidence interval: 0.56 [0.45, 0.69]). Two models with longer average preclinical duration accurately predicted the relative reduction in 10-year CRC incidence. Two models with longer mean sojourn time accurately predicted the number of screen-detected cancers. All 3 models predicted too many proximal adenomas among patients referred to colonoscopy. Conclusion: Model accuracy can only be established through external validation. Analyses such as these are therefore essential for any decision model. Results supported the assumptions that the average time from adenoma initiation to development of preclinical cancer is long (up to 25 years), and mean sojourn time is close to 4 years, suggesting the window for early detection and intervention by screening is relatively long. Variation in dwell time remains uncertain and could have important clinical and policy implications.
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institution Curtin University Malaysia
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publishDate 2015
publisher Sage Publications, Inc.
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spelling curtin-20.500.11937-499612018-03-29T09:07:08Z Validation of Models Used to Inform Colorectal Cancer Screening Guidelines Rutter, C. Knudsen, A. Marsh, T. Doria-Rose, V. Johnson, E. Pabiniak, C. Kuntz, K. Van Ballegooijen, M. Zauber, A. Lansdorp_Vogelaar, Iris Background: Microsimulation models synthesize evidence about disease processes and interventions, providing a method for predicting long-Term benefits and harms of prevention, screening, and treatment strategies. Because models often require assumptions about unobservable processes, assessing a model's predictive accuracy is important. Methods: We validated 3 colorectal cancer (CRC) microsimulation models against outcomes from the United Kingdom Flexible Sigmoidoscopy Screening (UKFSS) Trial, a randomized controlled trial that examined the effectiveness of one-Time flexible sigmoidoscopy screening to reduce CRC mortality. The models incorporate different assumptions about the time from adenoma initiation to development of preclinical and symptomatic CRC. Analyses compare model predictions to study estimates across a range of outcomes to provide insight into the accuracy of model assumptions. Results: All 3 models accurately predicted the relative reduction in CRC mortality 10 years after screening (predicted hazard ratios, with 95% percentile intervals: 0.56 [0.44, 0.71], 0.63 [0.51, 0.75], 0.68 [0.53, 0.83]; estimated with 95% confidence interval: 0.56 [0.45, 0.69]). Two models with longer average preclinical duration accurately predicted the relative reduction in 10-year CRC incidence. Two models with longer mean sojourn time accurately predicted the number of screen-detected cancers. All 3 models predicted too many proximal adenomas among patients referred to colonoscopy. Conclusion: Model accuracy can only be established through external validation. Analyses such as these are therefore essential for any decision model. Results supported the assumptions that the average time from adenoma initiation to development of preclinical cancer is long (up to 25 years), and mean sojourn time is close to 4 years, suggesting the window for early detection and intervention by screening is relatively long. Variation in dwell time remains uncertain and could have important clinical and policy implications. 2015 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/49961 10.1177/0272989X15622642 Sage Publications, Inc. restricted
spellingShingle Rutter, C.
Knudsen, A.
Marsh, T.
Doria-Rose, V.
Johnson, E.
Pabiniak, C.
Kuntz, K.
Van Ballegooijen, M.
Zauber, A.
Lansdorp_Vogelaar, Iris
Validation of Models Used to Inform Colorectal Cancer Screening Guidelines
title Validation of Models Used to Inform Colorectal Cancer Screening Guidelines
title_full Validation of Models Used to Inform Colorectal Cancer Screening Guidelines
title_fullStr Validation of Models Used to Inform Colorectal Cancer Screening Guidelines
title_full_unstemmed Validation of Models Used to Inform Colorectal Cancer Screening Guidelines
title_short Validation of Models Used to Inform Colorectal Cancer Screening Guidelines
title_sort validation of models used to inform colorectal cancer screening guidelines
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/49961