A comparative costs analysis of brachytherapy and radical retropubic prostatectomy therapies for clinically localized prostate cancer.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study is to perform a comparative costs analysis of brachytherapy (BT) and radical retropubic prostatectomy (RRP) for clinically localized prostate cancer and to shed light on the difficulties of comparing their relative economic effectiveness.


METHODS
A systematic literature review of costing studies available in the Medline, Embase, DARE, and INAHTA databases.


RESULTS
There is a lack of homogeneity among published studies in this field. Differences in the reported costs are related to different environments in which the two techniques (BT and RRP) are applied, and in particular due to the use of different methodology, cost items included, time frames, and different price levels in different settings.


CONCLUSIONS
Published studies of costing data of BT and RRP do not provide clear-cut evidence for a conclusion about which treatment may be more effective from an economic point of view.
Gianino
Maria Michela
MM
Department of Public Health, University of Turin, Italy. mariola.gianino@unito.it
Galzerano
Mario
M
Minniti
Davide
D
Di Novi
Cinzia
C
Martin
Barbara
B
Davini
Ottavio
O
Barbaro
Silvana
S
D001918:Brachytherapy / Q000191:economics*; D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011468:Prostatectomy / Q000191:economics*; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000628:therapy*