Comparing the cost of adjuvant anastrozole with the benefits of managing less patients with relapsed breast cancer

Abstract

Prescribing anastrozole instead of tamoxifen increases initial adjuvant drug costs but there is an eventual saving as fewer patients will relapse. The effect of this saving depends on an accurate understanding of the cost of breast cancer relapse. We identified 232 patients relapsing between March 2000 and 2005. Seventy-seven were randomly selected for analysis of their entire hospital and community management costs from the date of relapse until death, or the end of the evaluation period (01/01/07). The mean cost per patient was £25,186 (95% CI £13,705-£33,821). The median survival from time of relapse was 40.07 months (range 0.5-73 months) and median total cost per patient was £31,402.62. Equating this figure with the difference in relapse rate (4.1%), initial drug cost (£4,773) gives an extra cost of £17,244/life year saved. This was the first adjuvant cost effectiveness analysis which included the community management activity of a subsequent relapse.

PEGylated liposomes of anastrozole for long-term treatment of breast cancer:in vitroandin vivoevaluation

“…The treatment of breast cancer has included efforts to decrease estrogen levels by the use of anti-estrogens by the inhibition of the enzyme, aromatase that catalyzes the conversion of the androgens, androstenedione and testosterone, to estrogens (estrone and estradiol), the major route of estrogen synthesis in post-menopausal women and progestational agents (Nicolini et al, 2006;Thomas et al, 2009). Third-generation type-II non-steroidal aromatase inhibitors (AIs) [e.g.…”

The Cost-Effectiveness of Adjuvant Tamoxifen Treatment of Hormone Receptor–Positive Early Breast Cancer Among Premenopausal and Perimenopausal Ghanaian Women

“…There have been calls for ascertaining the cost-effectiveness of technologies funded under the NHIS including tamoxifen. The cost-effectiveness of tamoxifen has been established in countries such as Canada, United Kingdom, Singapore, Korea, and Germany, [17][18][19][20] but mostly for postmenopausal women. Nevertheless, the relevance of these studies to Ghana is unknown because most Ghanaian women are premenopausal when they receive a diagnosis of breast cancer (73%; mean age at diagnosis of 49 years).…”