title: [Pharmacoeconomic study of chemotherapy for gastric cancer: analysis of medical costs for oral fluoropyrimidine TS-1 and conventional i.v therapy].
abstract: To evaluate the economic impact of TS-1, an oral fluoropyrimidine, on the treatment of gastric cancer, the medical costs required for TS-1 treatment were compared with those for the conventional chemotherapy employed before the launch of TS-1 in patients with advanced and recurrent gastric cancer. The medical costs for 13 patients receiving TS-1 and 10 patients undergoing the conventional chemotherapy were extracted from the ordering system data, and the costs were compared using the fee schedule of the Japanese national health insurance. The monthly medical costs for the TS-1 group and conventional chemotherapy group were 327, 640 +/- 47,647 (mean +/- SE) yen and 852,874 +/- 62,412 yen, respectively. Medical costs appeared to have decreased because TS-1 is an oral preparation, permitting an easy transfer from inpatient treatment to ambulatory treatment, and because only small amounts of medication and blood transfusion were used for supportive care. Consequently, the medical costs for the TS-1 group were significantly lower than for the conventional chemotherapy group. Therefore, the administration of TS-1 leads to a reduction in medical costs.
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Pharmacy, Showa University Hosptial.
authors.forename: Katsumi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.forename: Tsutomu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kaetsu
authors.forename: Satoshi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: Mitsuo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kusano
authors.forename: Shuichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yajima
authors.forename: Hiroyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sakamaki
authors.forename: Shunya
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ikeda
authors.forename: Naoki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ikegami
authors.forename: Jun-Ichiro
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Murayama
mesh_terms: D000284:Administration, Oral; D000368:Aged; D000964:Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000191:economics*; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000191:economics* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D004338:Drug Combinations; D017850:Economics, Pharmaceutical; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010094:Oxonic Acid / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000191:economics*; D011725:Pyridines / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000191:economics*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000191:economics*; D005641:Tegafur / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000191:economics*
chemical_list: D000964:Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic; D004338:Drug Combinations; D011725:Pyridines; C079198:S 1 (combination); D005641:Tegafur; D010094:Oxonic Acid