Burden of illness analysis of renal cell carcinoma

Abstract

14548 Background: There were over 36,000 new cases of kidney cancer reported in the US in 2004, the most common being renal cell carcinoma (RCC). RCC patients have limited treatment options and low survival rates, particularly for advanced-staged patients. Despite the growing importance of RCC, data on its economic burden are limited. Methods: A prevalence-based approach was used to estimate the aggregate annual cost burden from a societal perspective, including costs of medical treatment and lost productivity, due to RCC in the U.S. Key relationships represented in the model include the annual number of patients treated for RCC by age group and cancer stage; utilization of cancer specific treatments; unit costs of these treatments; work-days missed by these patients, and wage rates. Data sources included the linked Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER)-Medicare database, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and the published literature. Results: The annual prevalence of RCC in the US was estimated to be 109,500 cases. The associated annual burden of RCC (US $2005) was approximately $4.8 billion ($43,749 per patient). Healthcare costs and lost productivity accounted for 84.9% ($4.1 billion) and 15.1% ($726 million) of the total, respectively. Reflecting its higher prevalence, the total cost associated with localized RCC accounted for the greatest share (78.2%) followed by regional, distant and unstaged RCC, which accounted for 18.3%, 2.8% and 0.7%, respectively. Sensitivity analyses resulted in a range in the estimated annual burden from $3.9 to $5.2 billion. Focusing only on newly diagnosed RCC cases (approximately 25,000 per year), the annual burden was estimated at $1.5 billion, with a per-patient cost of $62,340. Conclusions: The economic burden of RCC in the US is substantial. New therapies for RCC have the potential to yield considerable economic and societal benefits. [Table: see text]