dr. Pieter Vynckier (PhD)
Post-doctoral researcher (Department of Public Health and Primary Care)
Member of the Interuniversity Centre for Health Economics Research (i-CHER) group
Principal investigators: prof. Lieven Annemans (PhD) and prof. Nick Verhaeghe (PhD)
Research focus
Prostate cancer (PCa) is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in European men, with over 400,000 new cases annually. Its large incidence and mortality lead to high healthcare related costs, estimated at 5.8 billion Euros in Europe. A recent systematic review indicates that modern screening has the potential to be cost-effective.
Therefore, the “Prostate cancer Awareness and Initiative for Screening in the European Union” (PRAISE-U) project with the aim of studying the implementation of early detection and diagnosis of PCa through modern screening algorithms was initiated. The aim of our research was to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of PRAISE-U compared to no screening and opportunistic testing. A decision-analytical cost-effectiveness model (i.e. Discret event simulation model (DES)) was developed to predict costs and health outcomes of PRAISE-U. This model makes it possible to simulate a set of competing events and risk predictions, including patients’ heterogeneity.
Although ambiguity around PCa screening exists, the PRAISE-U algorithm incorporates key elements to improve PCa screening and to avoid overdiagnosis and overtreatment. Identifying key cost drivers is essential to optimize PCa screening and assess their cost-effectiveness.
Key publications
- Systematic review on the cost effectiveness of prostate cancer screening in Europe. European Urology. 2024;86(5):400-8.
- Systematic Review on the Cost-effectiveness of Prostate Cancer Screening in Europe. Eur Urol. 2024; 86: 400-408. European Urology. 2024;87(1):e14-e.
- Why is there a need to re-think prostate cancer early detection? European Urology. 2024;85:S1613-S4.
- Health policy for prostate cancer early detection in the European Union and the impact of opportunistic screening: PRAISE-U consortium. Journal of Personalized Medicine. 2024;14(1):84.
- Understanding the barriers to prostate cancer population-based early detection programs: The PRAISE-U BEST Survey. Journal of Personalized Medicine. 2024;14(7):751.
Contact & links
- Ghent University (Faculty of medicine, Department of Public Health), UZ Campus, Corneel Heymanslaan 10, entrance 42 (4K3), 9000 GENT
- Pieter Vynckier is interested to receive invitations for presentations or talks