title: PET-CT in oncological patients: analysis of informal care costs in cost-benefit assessment.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The authors analysed the impact of nonmedical costs (travel, loss of productivity) in an economic analysis of PET-CT (positron-emission tomography-computed tomography) performed with standard contrast-enhanced CT protocols (CECT).
  
  
  METHODS
  From October to November 2009, a total of 100 patients referred to our institute were administered a questionnaire to evaluate the nonmedical costs of PET-CT. In addition, the medical costs (equipment maintenance and depreciation, consumables and staff) related to PET-CT performed with CECT and PET-CT with low-dose nonenhanced CT and separate CECT were also estimated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The medical costs were 919.3 euro for PET-CT with separate CECT, and 801.3 euro for PET-CT with CECT. Therefore, savings of approximately 13% are possible. Moreover, savings in nonmedical costs can be achieved by reducing the number of hospital visits required by patients undergoing diagnostic imaging.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Nonmedical costs heavily affect patients' finances as well as having an indirect impact on national health expenditure. Our results show that PET-CT performed with standard dose CECT in a single session provides benefits in terms of both medical and nonmedical costs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic and Molecular Imaging, Interventional Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and Radiation Therapy, University Hospital "Tor Vergata", Viale Oxford 81, 00133, Rome, Italy, aorlacchio@uniroma2.it.
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Orlacchio
authors.forename: Anna Micaela
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Ciarrapico
authors.forename: Orazio
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Schillaci
authors.forename: Fabrizio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Chegai
authors.forename: Daniela
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Tosti
authors.forename: Fabrizio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: D'Alba
authors.forename: Manlio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Guazzaroni
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Simonetti
mesh_terms: D003287:Contrast Media / Q000191:economics; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D004526:Efficiency; D005260:Female; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18 / Q000191:economics; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D064847:Multimodal Imaging / Q000191:economics*; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography / Q000191:economics; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals / Q000191:economics; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000191:economics; D014195:Travel / Q000191:economics
chemical_list: D003287:Contrast Media; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18