title: Economic evaluation of capecitabine as adjuvant or metastatic therapy in colorectal cancer.
abstract: Capecitabine, an oral prodrug of 5-fluorouracil, is indicated for adjuvant treatment in patients with Dukes' C colon cancer and for subsequent lines in metastatic colorectal cancer. The aim of this article is to review the literature on the economics of capecitabine for the treatment of colon cancer. A systematic review was conducted to search for articles published from January 2003 to December 2009 that met the inclusion criteria. For abstracts that were considered acceptable, full-text articles were then reviewed. Of the 42 potential studies that were identified, 13 original studies (16 publications) met the inclusion criteria. To date, the economic evaluation literature has consistently projected or found that capecitabine is not only a cost-effective treatment for adjuvant or for metastatic colorectal cancer (i.e., providing good value for money) but, furthermore, would actually be cost saving in the majority of country settings.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, University of Washington, Box 357630, Seattle, WA 98195, USA. bestj@uw.edu
authors.forename: Jennie H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Best
authors.forename: Louis P
authors.initials: LP
authors.lastname: Garrison
mesh_terms: D000964:Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic / Q000191:economics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000069287:Capecitabine; D017024:Chemotherapy, Adjuvant / Q000379:methods; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000191:economics; D017046:Cost Savings; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D003841:Deoxycytidine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000191:economics / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005472:Fluorouracil / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000191:economics / Q000627:therapeutic use; D017048:Health Care Costs; D006801:Humans; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D011355:Prodrugs
chemical_list: D000964:Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic; D011355:Prodrugs; D003841:Deoxycytidine; D000069287:Capecitabine; D005472:Fluorouracil