ABSTRACT
Introduction: We reviewed the evolution of the methods used in cost-effectiveness analyses of granulocyte colony-stimulating factors (G-CSFs) in the primary and secondary prevention of febrile neutropenia (FN) in patients receiving myelosuppressive cancer chemotherapy.
Areas covered: FN is a side effect of myelosuppressive chemotherapy associated with significant morbidity, mortality, and costs. The risk of FN may depend on the drugs used within a chemotherapy regimen, and an FN event may cause chemotherapy dose reductions or delays in subsequent cycles.
Expert commentary: More recent pharmacoeconomic models have reflected these clinical observations by modeling sequential chemotherapy regimens to account for FN risk on a per-cycle basis, and by accounting for chemotherapy dose reductions and consequent survival losses.
Declaration of interest
K Fust, Q Gu, M Maschio, and A Parthan were paid consultants to Amgen, Inc. at the time the study was conducted. X Li, S Tzivelekis, and G Villa were employees of, and stockholders in, Amgen, Inc. and Amgen (Europe) GmbH at the time the study was conducted. MC Weinstein has been a consultant to Optum under contract with Amgen Inc. GH Lyman is PI on a research grant to the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center from Amgen. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.