Economic assessments of head and neck cancers: a review

The aim of this study is to perform a review of the literature on economic studies in the area of head and neck cancer (including the cancers of the b uccal cavity, the larynx, and the pharynx). French and international litera ture (as reported on Medline and OHE-IFPMA databases) has been reviewed Thi s research demonstrated the lack of economic data in this field. In France, only one study was found, assessing the cost of the treatment of head and neck cancer in hospital to 29 billions French Francs including 2.3 billions linked to head and neck cancer. This relative indifference is possibly due to the heterogeneity and the low incidence of the studied pathologies. In addition, the research highlighted the great interest of dealing with quali ty of life in such physically and psychologically disabling illnesses. To f acilitate the decision making and to allow optimal resource allocation in t he area of costly health strategies, we should develop in France an economi c evaluation of the bead and neck cancer, while taking care of integrating the notion of quality of life into the analysis.