The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of the screening programme was 1,584 (95% CI: 717 - 8,612) per life-year gained.
The ICER was relatively insensitive to plausible variations in the assumed discount rate for the costs.
The ICER was far more sensitive to variations in the discount rate for the benefits. Discounting at the same rate as for the costs (6%) raised the ratio by 77.4%. When the benefits were undiscounted, the ratio fell by 25.5%.
If the highest Kaplan-Meier survival estimate was used, the ICER fell by 23.3%.
When the unit costs of the FOB test, investigation and treatment were doubled, the ICER rose by 59.6% for the FOB test, 27.5% for investigation and 12.9% for treatment.