Economic aspects of multiple myeloma: real costs associated with disease in the Slovak Republic

Abstract

Health care costs are continuously increasing. Multiple myeloma represents approximately 1% of all malignancies and the 5-year prevalence is 230,000 patients on average. In addition, there is an annual incidence of 3.8/100,000 in Slovakia. In total economic burden assessment, it is important to focus not only on direct but also on indirect costs, including the lost productivity due to premature death. Based on the data and information obtained from the key stakeholders the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Labor, the Social Insurance Agency, and NCZI, we provided the assessment of direct and indirect costs. The total cost of the disease for the model patient represents 409, from the diagnosis of MM to death. The major cost burden is associated with the treatment, 155,645 o premature death, 127,-of-illness studies provide an important view on the total burden of the disease in specific areas and are necessary for adequate decision-making process from the regulatory and reimbursement perspective. Key words: multiple myeloma; cost-of-illness; direct costs; indirect costs; burden of disease The expenses on healthcare are constantly rising. The protocols for diagnostics and treatment of variety of diseases are more sophisticated, containing various possibilities of medical imaging, new surgical practices, new drugs and all this together leads to continual increases in costs. Diagnostics and treatment of patients with multiple myeloma (MM) represents no exception [1]. Worldwide, the MM accounts for approximately 1% of all cancers and is the 2nd most common hematologic malignancy with an estimated 24,280 to 30,330 new cases and 12,650 deaths to occur for 2016 [2-5]. Additionally, the 5-year prevalence is approximately 230,000 patients [6]. In the Western world, the age-standardized incidence has been reported to be approximately 5 cases/100,000 [7, 8]. The median age of patients at diagnosis is approximately 66-70 years with 37% of patients being younger than 65 years of age [3, 9]. MM is extremely rare in those less than