A0760
Title: Costing analysis in cancer care: A proposed analytical framework
Authors: Rui Fu - University of Calgary (Canada) [presenting]
Qing Li - Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (Canada)
Antoine Eskander - University of Toronto (Canada)
Abstract: Cancer treatment has immense economic consequences for patients/families, the healthcare system, and society. The most resource-intensive periods for cancer patients are usually the first year following the diagnosis and the last year of life. A proposed analytical pipeline is discussed to allow for a comprehensive assessment on the direct medical costs of cancer, using head \& neck cancers, the seventh most common cancer type globally, as a case study. This framework directs researchers to use routinely collected health administrative data to conduct the following costing analyses focusing on distinct clinically meaningful phases of cancer care: 1) a cost-of-illness study estimating the wholesome attributable cost; 2) an investigation on high users of health care (i.e., a minority of the total patient population accounting for a large proportion of total health spending) during the first year after diagnosis; 3) a focused examination on use of palliative/hospice care and incurred cost towards the end of life (i.e., last year of life); and 4) a study on the association between patient-reported outcomes and immediate healthcare costs incurred afterward. The use of suitable health economics/statistical methods will be highlighted. The concepts of indirect costs and societal perspective are introduced to conclude on costing exercises beyond direct medical costs.
