Background: Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori)  eradication therapy has been shown to reduce the risk of gastric cancer in patients who have a family history of gastric cancer in first-degree relatives. The aim of this study was to assess the cost-effectiveness of H. pylori  eradication therapy in a select population in the People’s Republic of China.
Methods: A Markov model was applied to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of H. pylori  eradication therapy. The long-term costs of H. pylori  eradication therapy were calculated from the Chinese perspective. Health outcomes were measured by quality-adjusted life years (QALYs). Epidemiological information and health utilities used in the model were collected from published literatures or statistical bureaus. A sensitivity analysis was conducted to explore the influence of parameters on the uncertainty of the model.
Results: Compared with the no eradication therapy group, H. pylori  eradication therapy prolonged an average of 4.52 QALYs (32.64 QALYs vs 28.12 QALYs) and saved $3227.07 ($2472.83 vs $5699.90). The cost-effectiveness analysis demonstrated that no H. pylori  eradication therapy cost more and produced less QALYs. It was dominated by H. pylori  eradication therapy. The one-way sensitive analyses proved that the results were robust to the fluctuations of the input parameters.
Conclusion: H. pylori  eradication therapy not only reduced the risk of gastric cancer in first-degree relatives of patients with gastric cancer but also was an economical strategy with lower costs and greater efficacy.
Keywords: Helicobacter pylori , eradication therapy, gastric cancer, cost-effectiveness analysis