TREATMENT COSTS IN HODGKINS-DISEASE - A COST-UTILITY ANALYSIS

The aim of this study was to estimate costs of treatment for Hodgkin's disease (HD) and the outcome in health in terms of quality-adjusted l ife-years (QALYs), and compare these to a constructed no-treatment alt ernative. All 55 patients treated for HD at the oncological unit of th e University Hospital of Tromso between 1985 and 1993 were included. T he total treatment costs (medication, hospital stay, hospital hotel st ay, radiotherapy, travelling, loss in production, i.e. work) were retr ospectively estimated for all patients. In December 1993, the 49 survi vors were sent a EuroQo1 questionnaire recording quality of life: 42 r esponded. The mean quality of life score was 0.78 on a 0-1 scale, and the mean total cost of treatment was pound 12512. The total treatment costs were significantly higher in patients with advanced clinical sta ges of the disease (P = 0.0006), B-symptoms (fever, sweats, weight los s) (P = 0.0027) and relapse (P < 0.0001). The costs of one QALY (with production gains included and using a 10% discount rate) were estimate d at pound 1651. When excluding production gains and using a 5% discou nt rate, the figures became pound 1327. This makes HD one of the most cost-effective malignancies to treat. Copyright (C) 1996 Elsevier Scie nce Ltd