[Adjuvant treatment of cancer of the breast: cost assessment of the protocol used]. / Traitement adjuvant du cancer du sein: évaluation du coût de la stratégie mise en oeuvre.

ABSTRACT

In this study a cost analysis of therapeutics used in the adjuvant treatment of breast cancer has been performed. Four strategies were considered chemotherapy (FEC, 6 courses), hormone therapy (tamoxifen, 20 mg/day during 3 years), the association of chemotherapy and hormone therapy, or standard follow-up with neither chemotherapy nor hormone therapy. The costs of these strategies were analysed according to the payer's perspective (social security system). In order to complete the economic data, specific investigations were performed at the Centre Oscar-Lambret (COL), a Cancer Center located in Lille (France). The study shows a high cost for chemotherapy (63,767 FF at 5 years) and a high cost for the association (68,891 FF), in comparison to the cost of hormone therapy alone (45,540 FF) or to the follow-up without adjuvant therapy (38,416 FF). These costs could be confronted to the efficacy data of these different strategies and to the cost of avoided relapses. Cost-effectiveness and cost-benefit ratios of these adjuvant strategies could then be assessed.