ZHAW Zurich University of Applied Sciences Reports Findings in Prostate Cancer (Real-world treatment patterns and medical costs of prostate cancer patients in Switzerland – A claims data analysis): Oncology – Prostate Cancer

Insurance Daily News

2024 MAY 10 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Daily News -- New research on Oncology - Prostate Cancer is the subject of a report. According to news originating from Winterthur, Switzerland, by NewsRx correspondents, research stated, “Prostate cancer (PC) is the most prevalent cancer in men in Switzerland. However, evidence on the real-world health care use of PC patients is scarce.”

Our news journalists obtained a quote from the research from the ZHAW Zurich University of Applied Sciences, “The aim of this study is to describe health care utilization, treatment patterns, and medical costs in PC patients over a period of five years (2014-2018). We used routinely collected longitudinal individual-level claims data from a major provider of mandatory health insurance in Switzerland. Due to the lack of diagnostic coding in the claims data, we identified treated PC patients based on the treatments received. We described health care utilization and treatment pathways for patients with localized and metastatic PC. Costs were calculated from a health care system perspective. A total of 5591 PC patients met the inclusion criteria. Between 2014 and 2018, 1741 patients had outpatient radiotherapy for localized or metastatic PC and 1579 patients underwent radical prostatectomy. 3502 patients had an androgen deprivation therapy (ADT). 9.5% of these patients had a combination therapy with docetaxel, and 11.0% had a combination with abiraterone acetate. Docetaxel was the most commonly used chemotherapy (first-line; n = 413, 78.4% of all patients in chemotherapy). Total medical costs of PC in Switzerland were estimated at CHF 347 m (95% CI 323-372) in 2018. Most PC patients in this study were identified based on the use of ADT. Medical costs of PC in Switzerland amounted to 0.45% of total health care spending in 2018.”

According to the news editors, the research concluded: “Treatment of metastatic PC accounted for about two thirds of spending.”

This research has been peer-reviewed.

For more information on this research see: Real-world treatment patterns and medical costs of prostate cancer patients in Switzerland - A claims data analysis. European Journal of Cancer, 2024;204:114072. European Journal of Cancer can be contacted at: Elsevier Sci Ltd, The Boulevard, Langford Lane, Kidlington, Oxford OX5 1GB, Oxon, England. (Elsevier - www.elsevier.com; European Journal of Cancer - http://www.journals.elsevier.com/european-journal-of-cancer/)

The news correspondents report that additional information may be obtained from Michael Stucki, ZHAW Zurich University of Applied Sciences, School of Management and Law, Winterthur Institute of Health Economics, Winterthur, Switzerland. Additional authors for this research include Stephanie Dosch, Markus Gnadinger, Sereina M. Graber, Carola A. Huber, Golda Lenzin, Rato T. Strebel, Daniel R. Zwahlen, Aurelius Omlin and Simon Wieser.

The publisher’s contact information for the European Journal of Cancer is: Elsevier Sci Ltd, The Boulevard, Langford Lane, Kidlington, Oxford OX5 1GB, Oxon, England.