Economic burden in non-Hodgkin lymphoma survivors: The French Lymphoma Study Association SIMONAL cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: No study has focused on the economic burden in non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) survivors, even though this knowledge is essential. This study reports on health care resource use and associated health care costs as well as related factors in a series of 1671 French long-term NHL survivors. METHODS: Health care costs were measured from the payer perspective. Only direct medical costs (medical consultations, outpatient treatments, hospitalizations, and medical transport) in the past 12 months were included (reference year 2015). Multiple linear regression was used to search for explanatory factors of health care costs. RESULTS: In total, 1100 survivors (66%) reported having used at least 1 health care resource, and 867 (52%) reported having used at least 1 outpatient treatment. After the authors accounted for missing data, the mean health care cost was estimated at €702 ± €2221. Hospitalizations and outpatient treatments were the main cost drivers. Sensitivity analyses confirmed the robustness of the results. For the 1100 survivors who reported using at least 1 health care resource, the mean health care cost was €1067 ± €2268. Several factors demonstrated statistically significant relationships with health care costs. For instance, cardiovascular disorders increased costs by 66% ± 16%. In contrast, rituximab or autologous stem cell transplantation as initial therapy had no effect on health care costs. CONCLUSIONS: The consideration of economic constraints in health care is now a reality. This retrospective study reports on a better understanding of health care resource use and associated health care costs as well as related factors. It may help health care professionals in their ongoing efforts to design person-centered health care pathways.

Impact of persistence with tumour necrosis factor inhibitors on healthcare resource utilization and costs in chronic inflammatory joint diseases.

AIM: To assess persistence with subcutaneous (SC) tumour necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors as well as the impact of persistence on healthcare resource utilization (HCRU) and costs in patients with chronic inflammatory joint diseases. METHODS: In this cohort study using population-based French claims data (from 2011 to 2014), we measured persistence with SC TNF inhibitors within 12 months (M0-12) following treatment initiation in treatment-naïve and treatment-experienced users (divided into three cohorts: rheumatoid arthritis [RA], ankylosing spondylitis [AS] and psoriatic arthritis [PsA]). Persistent patients were propensity score matched to nonpersistent patients at M12. The impact of persistence status on HCRU and costs was assessed during M12-24. RESULTS: Of treatment-naïve (n = 3,804) and treatment-experienced (n = 2,279) users, only 56.1% and 46.8% were persistent at M12, respectively. Nonpersistent patients had more outpatient visits, computerized tomography scans, spine or joint magnetic resonance imaging procedures and disease-related hospitalizations, while persistent patients had more rheumatologist visits. Nonpersistent patients had lower drug costs but higher nondrug-related healthcare and hospitalization costs than persistent patients. In AS and PsA, overall healthcare costs were similar in persistent and nonpersistent patients. In RA, overall healthcare costs were lower in persistent patients (15,753€ vs 17,590€ in treatment-naïve and 17,622€ vs 21,177€ in treatment-experienced). CONCLUSION: Persistence with SC TNF inhibitors within first 12 months following treatment initiation was low in both treatment-naïve and treatment-experienced patients. Differences were observed in distribution of costs between persistent and nonpersistent patients, showing that nonpersistence with SC TNF inhibitors can lead to increased HCRU and higher costs.