First-line bevacizumab plus taxane-based chemotherapy for metastatic breast cancer: cost-minimisation analysis.

AIM: To carry out a cost minimisation analysis including a comparison of the costs arising from first-line treatment by bevacizumab plus docetaxel (BD) versus bevacizumab plus paclitaxel (BP) of patients with metastatic breast cancer (mBC). PATIENT AND METHODS: All consecutive patients with human epidermal growth receptor 2-negative mBC and treated at Besançon University hospital between 2006 and 2010 by a first-line therapy containing bevacizumab plus taxane were retrospectively studied. Economic analysis took into account costs related to drugs, hospitalization and healthcare travel. RESULTS: Progression-free survival difference between the two treatments was insignificant (p-value=0.31). BP treatment was associated with a higher mean total cost than that of BD treatment, €53,093 ± 34,395 versus €60,196 ± 48,766, respectively. CONCLUSION: Whereas bevacizumab is recommended for first-line treatment of mBC with paclitaxel-based chemotherapy, our study has shown that BD treatment is the most cost-efficient regimen. It could be an attractive option in France, with a potential cost saving of €24,000,000 per year.