Using Whole Disease Modelling to inform economic recommendations for the detection, diagnosis, treatment and followup of colorectal cancer

INTRODUCTION Conventional economic evaluation typically involves piecewise comparisons of competing technologies at a single isolated point in a broader care pathway. This study assesses the value of simulating whole disease and treatment pathways to provide a common economic basis for informing resource allocation decisions across an entire disease service. This "Whole Disease Modelling" approach was applied to the evaluation of technologies for the detection, diagnosis, treatment and follow-up of colorectal cancer with the intention of informing NICE’s colorectal cancer clinical guideline