Review of the economic evaluations of hormonal therapy for patients with locally advanced prostate cancer

Abstract

Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) is used as first-line therapy for locally advanced or metastatic prostate cancer aiming to reduce testosterone to castrate levels. The authors present an overview of the existing cost–effectiveness studies of ADT in prostate cancer. Cost–effectiveness of ADT was reviewed using a systematic search of the peer-reviewed literature, as well as research abstracts presented at various scientific and industry meetings. Most cost–effectiveness analyses of ADT reported results within the accepted societal threshold of US$50,000 cost/quality-adjusted life year needed to adopt new technology.

Keywords::

• androgen deprivation therapy
• cost–effectiveness
• degarelix
• Markov simulation models
• prostate cancer
• quality-adjusted life years

Financial & competing interest disclosure

HT Hatoum is president of Hind T Hatoum & Company. ED Crawford was the principal investigator for degarelix clinical trials and performs in an advisory capacity to Ferring Pharmaceuticals, the marketer of degarelix. S Kildegaard Nielsen is an employee of Ferring Pharmaceuticals. S-J Lin is a senior analytic consultant for Hind T Hatoum & Company. DC Marshall is an employee of Ferring Pharmaceuticals. 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.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.