The economic burden of head and neck cancer: a systematic literature review.
BACKGROUND
This systematic literature review aimed to evaluate and summarize the existing evidence on resource use and costs associated with the diagnosis and treatment of head and neck cancer (HNC) in adult patients, to better understand the currently available data. The costs associated with HNC are complex, as the disease involves multiple sites, and treatment may require a multidisciplinary medical team and different treatment modalities.


METHODS
Databases (MEDLINE and Embase) were searched to identify studies published in English between October 2003 and October 2013 analyzing the economics of HNC in adult patients. Additional relevant publications were identified through manual searches of abstracts from recent conference proceedings.


RESULTS
Of 606 studies initially identified, 77 met the inclusion criteria and were evaluated in the assessment. Most included studies were conducted in the USA. The vast majority of studies assessed direct costs of HNC, such as those associated with diagnosis and screening, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, surgery, side effects of treatment, and follow-up care. The costs of treatment far exceeded those for other aspects of care. There was considerable heterogeneity in the reporting of economic outcomes in the included studies; truly comparable cost data were sparse in the literature. Based on these limited data, in the US costs associated with systemic therapy were greater than costs for surgery or radiotherapy. However, this trend was not seen in Europe, where surgery incurred a higher cost than radiotherapy with or without chemotherapy.


CONCLUSIONS
Most studies investigating the direct healthcare costs of HNC have utilized US databases of claims to public and private payers. Data from these studies suggested that costs generally are higher for HNC patients with recurrent and/or metastatic disease, for patients undergoing surgery, and for those patients insured by private payers. Further work is needed, particularly in Europe and other regions outside the USA; prospective studies assessing the cost associated with HNC would allow for more systematic comparison of costs, and would provide valuable economic information to payers, providers, and patients.
Evidera, Lexington, MA, USA.
Erika
E
Wissinger
Ingolf
I
Griebsch
Juliane
J
Lungershausen
Talia
T
Foster
Chris L
CL
Pashos
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000191:economics / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001208:Asia; D001938:Brazil; D017281:Cost of Illness; D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D005060:Europe; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000191:economics* / Q000628:therapy*; D017048:Health Care Costs; D006801:Humans; D010166:Palliative Care / Q000191:economics; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography / Q000191:economics; D017216:Telemedicine / Q000191:economics; D013727:Terminal Care / Q000191:economics; D014481:United States
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents