Socio‐economic burden of disease: Survivorship costs for renal cell carcinoma

Abstract

Objective The objective of this study is to assess the risk‐stratified 10‐year socio‐economic burden of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) follow‐up costs after initial treatment in Germany from 2000 to 2020. Methods A micro‐costing method considering direct and indirect medical expenditure associated with follow‐up procedures was employed to calculate survivorship costs per patient. The frequencies of physician–patient visits, examinations and diagnostic tests were extracted from guidelines, whilst expenses were sourced from literature and official scales of tariffs. Societal costs were calculated based on three perspectives: patients, providers and insurers. Results Mean societal 10‐year follow‐up costs per patient amounted to EUR 3,377 (95%CI: 2,969–3,791) for low‐risk, EUR 3,367 (95%CI: 3,003–3,692) for medium‐risk and EUR 4,299 (95%CI: 3,807–4,755) for high‐risk RCC in 2020. Spending increased by +32% from 2000 to 2020 for low‐risk RCC, whilst medium‐and high‐risk RCC expenditure was cut by −39% and −22%, respectively. Patients shouldered 27%, providers 43% and insurers 35% of costs in 2020. Resources were consumed by medical imaging (52%), physician‐patient consultations (31%), travel expenses (17%) and blood tests (1%). Conclusion Results highlight the economic burden cancer survivorship poses for society. Cancer survivors require individualised, evidence‐based and insurance‐covered follow‐up schedules to permit the early detection of side‐effects, metastasis and secondary malignancies.

Trends in health care spending on kidney cancer in the United States, 1996–2016

“…15 Although gastrointestinal malignancies are a heterogeneous group, this cost analysis showed that most health expenditures occurred in the inpatient setting and that the most significant increases in health Europe. 29 The treatment landscape of mRCC has been changing rapidly since several trials have gotten underway to evaluate the treatment efficacy of newer TKIs, ICIs, and their combinations. 30 The cost-effectiveness of these systemic therapies, the management of adverse events, and the complications of the disease will need to be carefully assessed to optimize service utilization.…”

“…Because the overall worldwide cancer burden is expected to rise by >40% in the next 20 years, efficient resource allocation for patients with kidney cancer carries importance in future health policy design 1 . The economic burden of managing kidney cancer, particularly RCC, has gradually increased over time in the United States 21 as well as in Europe 29 . The treatment landscape of mRCC has been changing rapidly since several trials have gotten underway to evaluate the treatment efficacy of newer TKIs, ICIs, and their combinations 30 .…”