Chen D, Kang P, Tao S, et al. - From the perspective of Chinese healthcare payer, the cost-effectiveness of robotic-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (RATS) vs open thoracotomy (OT) and video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) for operable non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) was investigated. The 5-year costs and quality-adjusted life year (QALY) of RATS vs OT and VATS for operable NSCLC patients was determined via the Markov decision model. RATS offered an incremental 0.28 QALYs at an additional cost of $3,104.82, making for an ICER of $10,967.41 per QALY vs OT. At a willing-to-pay (WTP) threshold of $12,000 per QALY and $75,800 per QALY, RATS showed the same cost-effectiveness probability (0.50) relative to OT and VATS, respectively. Findings overall suggested RATS to be cost-effective vs OT for patients with operable NSCLC from the perspective of Chinese healthcare payers, whereas, relative to VATS, robotic approach was less cost-effective.