Poster Presentation Clinical Oncology Society of Australia Annual Scientific Meeting 2022

Cost estimation of radiotherapy for local control and overall survival benefit of lung cancer (#363)

Jesmin Shafiq 1 2 3 , Vikneswary Batumalai 3 4 , Karen Wong 1 2 3 , Nasreen Kaadan 1 3 , Alexandra Powell 1 , Geoff Delaney 1 2 3 , Shalini Vinod 1 2 3
  1. SWSLHD Cancer Services, Liverpool Hospital, Liverpool, NSW, Australia
  2. Collaboration for Cancer Outcomes Research and Evaluation (CCORE), Ingham Institute for Applied Medical Research, Liverpool, NSW, Australia
  3. School of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
  4. GenesisCare, Sydney, NSW, Australia

Background

Optimal use of radiotherapy (RT) in lung cancer results in 12% 5-year local control (LC) and 6% 5-year overall survival (OS) benefit at the population level [1]. Our previous study assessed RT costs per outcome and measured this to be $40,333 for 5-year LC benefit and $72,600 for 5-year OS benefit for lung cancer [2]. The aim of this study was to estimate the cost of first RT course for lung cancer and calculate the costs for LC and OS benefit by stage at diagnosis.

 

Methods

All RT activities for lung cancer with curative and palliative intents were extracted from Liverpool Hospital RT information system (MOSAIQ; Elekta, Stockholm, Sweden) from July 2017 to June 2020. RT activities and associated costs were consolidated. RT activity costs were based on the previous study [2]. Average cost of treatment course was calculated (average cost of activities per fraction X no. of fractions). Cost per outcome ratio was estimated from cost of total fractions per 5-year LC and OS gain.

 

Results

456 lung cancer patients received 30,535 radiotherapy activities. Average cost of activities per fraction was $327 for all stages, and $392, $295, $348 for stage I-II, III and IV, respectively. The average cost of treatment courses for 5-year LC and OS gain were $49,590 and $87,737 for all stages. For stages I-II and III, the average costs were $42,032 and $39,801 for 5-year LC and $73,556 and $70,126 for 5-year OS benefit. For 1-year benefit, the costs were $8,406 & $7,960 for LC and $14,711 & $14,025 for OS respectively.

                                                                                                                                                  

Conclusions

Monetary value estimates of the cost of RT fractionation schemes over LC and OS benefits were comparable to previous estimates [2]. RT is an inexpensive treatment option in the management of lung cancer.

  1. 1. Hanna T, Shafiq J, Delaney G, Vinod S, Thompson S, Barton M. The population benefit of evidence-based radiotherapy: 5-Year local control and overall survival benefits. Radiother Oncol 2017;126:191–7.
  2. 2. Batumalai V, Wong K, Shafiq J, Hanna TP, Gabriel G, Heberle J, Koprivic I, Kaadan N, King O, Tran T, Cassapi L, Forstner D, Delaney GP, Barton M. Estimating the cost of radiotherapy for 5-year local control and overall survival benefit. Radiother Oncol. 2019 Apr 20;136:154-160.