Costs of peripheral blood progenitor cell transplantation using whole blood mobilised by filgrastim as compared with autologous bone marrow transplantation in non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this paper is to compare the costs of autologous bone marrow transplantation (ABMT) and whole blood transplantation in patients with relapsed or poorly responding non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.


METHODS
In a retrospective study, we calculated the treatment costs of 40 patients who received either ABMT or, alternatively, whole blood mobilised by filgrastim (a granulocyte colony-stimulating factor.


RESULTS
The recovery of granulocytes was markedly accelerated in the whole blood group as compared with the ABMT group. This resulted in a reduction in hospital costs, and costs for diagnostics and medical procedures, antibacterials, nutrition and blood transfusions. The average costs per patient in the whole blood group amounted to approximately $US16,890 as compared with approximately $US20,713 in the ABMT group (1995 values), implying a cost reduction of 18% when changing to whole blood reinfusion.


CONCLUSIONS
With the premise that both therapies are equivalent, it seems that whole blood transplantation is more cost effective than ABMT.
Uyl-de Groot
C A
CA
Department of Healthcare Policy and Management, Erasmus University Rotterdam, The Netherlands. uyl@econ.bmg.eur.nl
Ossenkoppele
G J
GJ
Buijt
I
I
Huijgens
P C
PC
D001803:Blood Transfusion / Q000191:economics*; D016026:Bone Marrow Transplantation / Q000191:economics*; D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D000069585:Filgrastim; D016179:Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor / Q000191:economics* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D008228:Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin / Q000191:economics* / Q000628:therapy; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D033581:Stem Cell Transplantation
D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D016179:Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor; D000069585:Filgrastim