Cost analysis of the use of digital rectoscopy versus flexible sigmoidoscopy in rectal cancer patients undergoing watch and wait

Description

Harpreet Kaur Sekhon Inderjit Singh and co-authors wrote a 2026 cost study on checking rectal cancer patients who keep their rectum after treatment, a plan called watch and wait. These patients need scope checks every few months for two years to catch early return of cancer. A digital scope device used in clinic, without sedation, may do the job for less.

The team costed 177 digital checks done in one NHS service and modeled the standard flexible scope for comparison. Over two years and seven checks, digital checks cost about 769 pounds per patient against about 1,588 pounds for the standard scope without sedation. Staff time during the check and recovery drove most of the gap. Extra analyses under varied assumptions kept the same result. The authors conclude the digital route saves at least about 820 pounds per patient.

Catalog record

Source: https://europepmc.org/article/MED/PMC13264957