Researchers in HEDS have been commissioned by Public Health England to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of screening for ovarian cancer. Ovarian cancer is the leading cause of death from gynaecological cancers in the United Kingdom, with the majority of women being diagnosed with late-stage cancer. The United Kingdom Collaborative Trial of Ovarian Cancer Screening (UKCTOCS) has enrolled over 200,000 women in an effort to see if screening for the disease will reduce mortality via earlier detection. The HEDS team, led by Professor Chilcott, are working with the UKCTOCS team to develop a mathematical model that will take into account the potential harms and benefits of screening for ovarian cancer, along with the costs.
This work builds upon HEDs’ expertise in evaluating screening programmes, with previous work on colorectal cancer, prostate cancer and cervical cancer, amongst others. The other members of staff involved are Ben Kearns, Suzi Sadler, Sophie Whyte and Louise Preston.
