Diagnosing Burkitt Lymphoma in Sub-Saharan Africa by Sequencing of Circulating Tumor DNA: A Comparative Microcosting Study

Objectives

Determining the cost of diagnosis of Burkitt lymphoma by DNA sequencing from a blood sample, compared with current histopathology. Estimating future sequencing costs at increased scale and exploring the effect of positivity rate on per-case cost.

Methods

We conducted a microcosting of both diagnostics. Resource use information was derived from standard operating procedures and interviews with staff. Unit cost data were from salary scales, purchase records, and publicly available prices. Costs were collected during 2021 and 2022, in the currency of purchase, and converted to common year (2024) and currency (US dollar [$]), with a discount rate of 5%. For increased scale, we assumed simple scaling up of current sample preparation and higher-capacity sequencing machines running at least once a week to maintain turnaround times.

Results

We estimated a cost of $185.01 per patient for histopathology, with the main cost drivers being staining ($87.20, largely immunohistochemistry consumables, including $34.52 for antibodies) and the biopsy procedure ($72.29). The cost of the sequencing-based diagnostic was $710.15 at current throughput, with the largest contribution from the sequencing step because of the cost of sequencing reagents ($175.48 per sample). Costs are sensitive to throughput, reagent costs, and efficiency of utilization of equipment. At the current prevalence, cost per positive case is 2-fold higher at a positivity rate of 25% compared with 75%.

Conclusions

With the current technology and throughput, sequencing is likely to increase the cost of diagnosis compared with current pathology. Costs will reduce with increased scale, which requires establishing local reagent supply and maintenance capability.