A new study is shining a powerful light on anal cancer prevention and it could save lives in the LGBTQ community. According to research published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, starting anal cancer screening at age 35 for gay and bisexual men living with HIV may reduce death rates by as much as 65%. Anal cancer cases in the U.S. are on the rise, with over 10,000 new cases each year, and mortality increasing at more than 2.5% annually. Men who have sex with men (MSM), especially those living with HIV, are at particularly high risk.
The study used a microsimulation model based on data from the landmark ANCHOR trial and other sources. Researchers compared 52 screening strategies, evaluating the costs, outcomes, and life years gained. The bottom line? Screening at age 35 with anal cytology proved more effective than starting at 40 or 45. Several approaches, including annual or biennial screenings using HPV testing or cytology with HPV triage, showed meaningful reductions in cancer cases and deaths.
Dr. Ashish (Aaa-shee-sh) Deshmukh (Desh-Mookh), professor at the Medical University of South Carolina’s Hollings Cancer Center, said, ICER, or Incremental Cost Effectiveness Ratio, is a way to measure whether a medical intervention is worth the cost by comparing how much it costs to how much it improves health. That improvement is measured in QALYs, which stands for Quality Adjusted Life Years. QALYs reflect both the length and quality of life gained from a treatment. In this study, starting anal cancer screening at age 35 for gay and bisexual men living with HIV was shown to be cost effective, with an ICER under 150,000 dollars per QALY gained. This means the screening provides strong value for the investment and has the potential to save lives while using healthcare resources wisely
ICER, or Incremental Cost Effectiveness Ratio, is a way to measure whether a medical intervention is worth the cost by comparing how much it costs to how much it improves health. That improvement is measured in QALYs, which stands for Quality Adjusted Life Years. QALYs reflect both the length and quality of life gained from a treatment. In this study, starting anal cancer screening at age 35 for gay and bisexual men living with HIV was shown to be cost effective, with an ICER under 150,000 dollars per QALY gained. This means the screening provides strong value for the investment and has the potential to save lives while using healthcare resources wisely. Right now, there are no national guidelines for anal cancer screening from bodies like the U.S. Preventive Services Taskforce or the American Cancer Society. Deshmukh (Desh-Mookh) hopes this study changes that.
“Our study addresses the long-term uncertainty and knowledge gap about whether screening for anal cancer reduces mortality…This suggests that we may need to reduce uncertainty around uniformly screening for anal cancer in high-risk individuals, especially for MSM with HIV.”
For LGBTQ people living with HIV, this research could help shift the conversation and policy toward earlier, life-saving care. You can read the whole article at healio.com.
