News

New anticancer drugs linked to increased costs, life expectancy


 

FROM HEALTH AFFAIRS

References

New anticancer drugs are often expensive and have been accompanied by large increases in the cost of medical treatment, but they also are associated with gains in life expectancy, according to an analysis of Medicare data published online.

Investigators looked at four different types of cancer – breast, kidney, lung, and chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) – over two time periods: 1996-2000 and 2007-2011. Patients treated for CML during 2007-2011 had the largest increases in both average lifetime medical cost ($142,000) and months of life gained (22.1) over those treated during 1996-2000, reported David H. Howard, PhD, of Emory University, Atlanta, and his associates.

Breast cancer patients had the next-largest increases: 13.2 months of life expectancy and $72,000 in lifetime medical cost for those who received physician-administered intravenous drugs. For breast cancer patients who received only oral drugs, the increases were 2 months of life and $9,000 in lifetime cost, they noted.

Patients with kidney cancer had an average life-expectancy increase of 7.9 months and a cost increase of $45,000, but those estimates don’t fully reflect the effect of several oral drugs that were introduced after 2007 but did not come into widespread use during the entire study period, Dr. Howard and his associates noted (Health Aff. 2016 Sep 7;35[9]:1581-7).

Lung cancer patients experienced the smallest changes between the two time periods, with an increase in life expectancy of 3.9 months for those who received physician-administered anticancer drugs and a lifetime medical cost increase of $23,000. Patients with lung cancer who did not receive such drugs had increases of 0.7 months of life expectancy and $4,000 in lifetime medical costs.

The researchers used data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results–Medicare database, and all costs are adjusted to 2012 dollars. Data collection was supported by the California Department of Health and funding for the study was provided by Pfizer. Three of Dr. Howard’s five coinvestigators are Pfizer employees.

rfranki@frontlinemedcom.com

Recommended Reading

Cabozantinib improves overall survival in renal cell carcinoma
MDedge Hematology and Oncology
FDA grants priority review to nivolumab for head and neck cancer
MDedge Hematology and Oncology
Disparities in prostate cancer treatment found at both academic and community centers
MDedge Hematology and Oncology
First-in-class agent shows early promise in treating clear cell renal cell carcinoma
MDedge Hematology and Oncology
Gene profile predicts RCC response to nivolumab
MDedge Hematology and Oncology
Salvage RT may reduce risk of prostate cancer metastasis even at low PSA levels
MDedge Hematology and Oncology
Active surveillance may be feasible for some advanced RCC patients
MDedge Hematology and Oncology
Prostate cancer incidence continues to decrease after recommendation against screening
MDedge Hematology and Oncology
Study supports extending docetaxel therapy in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer
MDedge Hematology and Oncology
Drug combo shows promise for non–clear cell renal cell carcinoma
MDedge Hematology and Oncology