Table 5 Description of one-way sensitivity analysis
Parameter | Baseline value | Sensitivity analysis | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
Age of the cohort | 65 | 40–80 | Impacts on overall mortality rates |
Increased mortality due to patient morbidity | None | 20% Increase in overall mortality rate for those that experience morbidity | |
Cost of 99mTc+blue dye | £4219 | £3836–£5754 | (See appendices for justification of sensitivity values) |
Groin recurrence rate following negative SLN biopsy | 6/259 (2.3%) (van der Zee et al, 2008) | 2/31 (6.5%) (Moore et al, 2008) and a more extreme hypothetical value of 30% | Van der Zee et al (2008) used at baseline, because it was a much larger study. Moore study also lacked detail about uni-/bi-focal disease |
Frequency of monitoring | Every 3 months for IFL, and every 2 months for SLN pathways (2–7) | Every 3 months for all pathways | |
False-positive rate for SLN biopsy pathways | 0% | 1.2% | 1.2% is 95% confidence interval value calculated from a systematic review (Meads et al, 2013). Note there was no evidence of any values below 100% being seen in the literature |
