This study develops a model of the lifetime costs of prostate cancer in California. Costs estimated include diagnostic procedures, hospitalizations, outpatient care, and other medical care costs. Costs are disaggregated by age and stage at diagnosis and by treatment protocol. Over 31,000 cases identified in the linked SEER-Medicare data for three California regions (Los Angeles, San Francisco/Oakland, and San Jose/Monterey) as having been diagnosed between 1991 and 1996 are included. For these individuals, eight treatment protocols were identified. Over half of the patients were treated with surgery or surgery in combination with radiation and/or chemotherapy, though this differs by age and stage at diagnosis. A majority of cases (69%) were detected when the cancer was either localized or regional in stage. Lifetime costs of cancer are estimated as the product of survival probability and cancer-associated costs. Cancer-associated costs are estimated using a subtractive approach, whereby lifetime costs for those with a primary diagnosis of prostate cancer are subtracted from the lifetime costs of a matched control sample. Preliminary results from the models indicate that men with prostate cancer have substantially higher lifetime medical care costs than men of the same age group who do not have prostate cancer. Proportional hazards models are being used to analyze the impact of sociodemographic factors, comorbidities, and treatment protocols on survival. The models indicate that treatment is associated with significantly better survival rates. The models also show that the presence of comorbidities, as measured by the Charlson-Deyo index, is associated with poorer survival.
Learning Objectives: Attendees at this session will learn how to analyze the economic issues related to estimating annual and lifetime disease costs, and will be able to describe the costs of prostate cancer.
Keywords: Cancer, Economic Analysis
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
Disclosure not received
Relationship: Not Received.