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Estimating costs of care for patients with newly diagnosed metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC).

6082 Background: The cost of treatment for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) has become a significant component of overall cancer care due to its high incidence and the increasing duration of patient survival. This study examines the resource use patterns and costs of care for patients with incident metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) based on analyses of retrospective claims data from selected health plans in the United States.


METHODS
A case-control analysis was performed using claims data from over 70 US health plans representing 40 million lives from years 1998-2004. Incident mCRC cases were identified based on evidence of a colorectal cancer diagnosis and a metastatic disease diagnosis. Incident mCRC cases could have no other evidence of cancer in the one-year period prior to the date of their first mCRC diagnosis. Cases were matched to non-mCRC controls based on age, gender, geographic region and duration of plan enrollment. Costs were evaluated by phase of disease: diagnosis, treatment, or death phases. Ordinary least squares regressions were performed to evaluate impact of covariates in each phase.


RESULTS
Total costs in the follow-up period averaged $97,031 higher for mCRC cases (N=) than for controls. The main cost drivers for mCRC were hospitalizations ($37,369) and specialist visits ($34,582) which included chemotherapy administration. Approximately 40% of the 672 mCRC patients who qualified for the phase analysis were identified with a fatal event during follow-up. Monthly costs were similar in the diagnostic phase ($12,394) and death phase ($12,069), but were significantly lower in the treatment phase ($4,653). Both mean/median monthly costs increased over time during the study period, regardless of disease phase.


CONCLUSION
The economic burden of mCRC is substantial for patients in commercial health plans in the U.S., and costs of care have increased substantially in recent years. Further research is needed to assess the cost impact of newer targeted therapies for the treatment of mCRC. No significant financial relationships to disclose.