title: Innovations that reach the patient: early health technology assessment and improving the chances of coverage and implementation.
abstract: With growing concerns for the sustainability of the financial burden that health care-and especially cancer services-poses on the national budgets, the role of health economic analyses in coverage decisions is likely to grow. One of the strategies for the biomedical research field-also in oncology research-to foster coverage and health system implementation, is to anticipate this new role and to involve health technology assessment techniques earlier in various stages of translational research. In this article, we elaborate on the early involvement of health technology assessment in translational research and the concept of Coverage with Evidence Development in The Netherlands Cancer Institute and give two case examples that are currently ongoing: (1) tumour infiltrating lymphocytes therapy for metastatic melanoma; and (2) high-dose chemotherapy for BRCA1-like subgroup in triple-negative breast cancer. We conclude with recommendations for institutional policy.
authors.affiliation: The Netherlands Cancer Institute, PO Box 90203, 1006 BE Amsterdam, The Netherlands; University of Twente, Department of Healthcare Technology and Services Research, PO Box 217, 7500 AE Enschede, The Netherlands; Rijnstate Hospital, PO Box 9555, 6800 TA Arnhem, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: W H
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: van Harten
authors.affiliation: The Netherlands Cancer Institute, PO Box 90203, 1006 BE Amsterdam, The Netherlands; University of Twente, Department of Healthcare Technology and Services Research, PO Box 217, 7500 AE Enschede, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: V P
authors.initials: VP
authors.lastname: Retèl
keywords: coverage with evidence development; health technology assessment; high-dose chemotherapy; tumour infiltrating lymphocytes