5.1
The External Assessment Centre excluded all the studies identified by the sponsor because they were outside the scope of the evaluation, although it did recognise that the studies contained useful cost information for standard care. The External Assessment Centre initially considered that the study by Wood et al. (2012) (not presented by the sponsor as part of its economic evidence) may provide some relevant evidence on costs. However, quality assessment showed several limitations (small number of patients, non‑UK care pathway, heterogeneous population), so the External Assessment Centre concluded that the evidence could not be generalised to support the sponsor's economic case.