Real-world costs of illness of Hodgkin and the main B-Cell Non-Hodgkin lymphomas in France

Abstract

Background: Lymphomas are costly diseases that suffer from a lack of detailed economic information, notably in a real-world setting. Decision-makers are increasing the search for Real-World Evidence (RWE) to assess the impact, in real-life, of healthcare management and to support their public decisions. Thus, we aimed to assess the real-world net costs of the active treatment phases of adult Hodgkin Lymphoma (HL), Follicular Lymphoma (FL) and Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma (DLBCL).

Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort study using population-based data from a national representative sample of the French population covered by the health insurance system. Cost analysis was performed from the French health insurance perspective and took into account direct and sick leave compensation costs (€2,018). Healthcare costs were studied over the active treatment phase. We used multivariate modeling to adjust cost differences between lymphoma subtypes.

Results: Analyses were performed on 224 lymphoma patients and 896 controls. The mean additional monthly costs due to HL, FL and DLBCL patients were respectively €5,188, €3,242 and €7,659 for the active treatment phase. The main additional cost driver was principally inpatient stay (hospitalization costs and costly cancer-related drugs), followed by outpatient medication and productivity loss. When adjusted, DLBCL remains significantly the most costly lymphoma subtype.

Conclusion: This study provides an accurate assessment of the main lymphoma subtypes related cost with high magnitude of details in a real-world setting. We underline where potential cost saving could be realized via the use of biosimilar medication, and where lymphoma management could be improved with the early management of adverse events.

KEY POINTS

• This is one of the first studies which assess the additional cost of lymphoma in Europe, according the main sub-types of lymphoma and with real-world database.

• The additional monthly cost due to HL, FL and DLBCL patients were respectively €5,188, €3,242 and €7,659 for the active treatment phase and the main additional cost driver was principally inpatient stay (i.e. hospitalization costs and additional inpatient medicines, notably rituximab), followed by outpatient medication and productivity loss.

• This study provides an accurate and detailed lymphoma subtype cost description and comparison which supply data for efficiency evaluations and will allow French health policy to improve lymphoma management.

Keywords:

• Lymphoma
• cost evaluation
• French health insurance
• real-world evidence
• administrative claims databases

JEL CLASSIFICATION CODES:

• I18
• D24

Transparency

Declaration of funding

This work received support from the National Research Agency (Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR)) for the “investissement d’avenir” (“Investment in the Future”) (ANR-11-PHUC-001).

Declaration of financial/other relationships

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest. JME peer reviewers on this manuscript have no relevant financial or other relationships to disclose.

Author contributions

All authors have participated in the work and have reviewed and approved the content of the article.

Acknowledgements

No assistance in the preparation of this article is to be declared.