Systematic review and cost-effectiveness of anti-PLA2R use in MN
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Assessing the utility and cost-effectiveness of anti-PLA2R for diagnosing patients with membranous nephropathy (MN) in clinical practice: a systematic review and health economic study
IRAS ID
307819
Contact name
Patrick Hamilton
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 8 months, 27 days
Research summary
Membranous nephropathy is one of the main causes of adult kidney disease worldwide. Most patients get better with treatment but about a third will not and will need dialysis or a kidney transplant. The most common cause of membranous nephropathy is an autoimmune disease, where the body’s immune system attacks the kidney. This is called ‘primary membranous nephropathy’. At the moment, a kidney biopsy is used to find out if patients have the disease. This involves removing a small part of the kidney, which can be painful, may cause bleeding, and can lead to delays in diagnosis and treatment.
In the last 10 years, the part of the immune system that damages the kidney in primary disease (the anti-PLA2R antibody) has been discovered. A simple blood test can now be used to detect this antibody and potentially identify the disease, which could save many people from having a biopsy.
In this project we will gather the results from international studies that have already taken place, to find out how good the blood test is at identifying patients with primary membranous nephropathy. We will then build an economic model to capture all the costs and health effects involved with using the test, compared to having a biopsy. This model will help to show if the test is of benefit and whether it is good value for money for the NHS. We will also ask patients and their doctors about using the test in practice.
If the antibody test is found to be clinically useful and provides value for money to the NHS, then we will use the results to create safe and useful clinical guidelines for using the test. Based on this, we would use the blood test instead of a biopsy to treat people more quickly and avoid side effects.REC name
London - Surrey Borders Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
23/PR/0214
Date of REC Opinion
5 May 2023
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion