Costs for 5-year lung cancer survivors in a tertiary care hospital in South Korea.
BACKGROUND
As the population of patients with lung cancer increases, the expenditure on lung cancer treatment will become a huge economic burden in many countries. To support public health services for the treatment of lung cancer, the calculation of lung cancer-specific costs is important.


METHODS
This study included newly diagnosed 76 lung cancer patients who had survived for at least 5 years after the diagnosis in a tertiary care hospital in South Korea. Direct medical costs were calculated from health care claims obtained from Seoul National University Hospital, which included out-of-pocket expenditures. Direct non-medical and indirect costs were calculated from national statistics.


RESULTS
Mean direct medical costs, direct non-medical costs, and indirect costs amounted to $21,321, $6444 and $4943 respectively, based on an exchange rate of Korean Won 1200=US $1. The average cost for treatment of one lung cancer patient for all 5 years was $32,708. This constituted 44.7% of the per capita income during the same 5-year period.


CONCLUSIONS
The economic burden of lung cancer treatment is significant in Korea.
Park
Young Sik
YS
Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine and Lung Institute of Medical Research Center, Seoul National University College of Medicine, 28 Yongon-dong, Chongno-gu, Seoul 110-744, Republic of Korea.
Kim
Seon Ha
SH
Park
Sue Kyung
SK
Park
Byung-Joo
BJ
Kim
Young Tae
YT
Lee
Sang-Min
SM
Yim
Jae-Joon
JJ
Yoo
Chul-Gyu
CG
Kim
Young Whan
YW
Han
Sung Koo
SK
Shim
Young-Soo
YS
Yang
Seok-Chul
SC
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000191:economics* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy; D017281:Cost of Illness; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D017048:Health Care Costs; D006801:Humans; D007345:Insurance Claim Review / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000191:economics* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D056910:Republic of Korea; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013997:Time Factors