ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: The cost of treating cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL) in Spain is unknown. With the advent of new treatments, it is more important than ever to gain an accurate picture of the true costs involved. The MICADOS study had 2 primary objectives: 1)to evaluate the impact of CTCL on patient quality of life, and 2)to evaluate the costs associated with the disease. This article reports the results of the cost analysis. METHODS: We estimated the cost of treating CTCL over a period of 1year from the perspective of the Spanish National Health System. Twenty-three dermatologists and hematologists from 15 public hospitals analyzed data for adult patients with mycosis fungoides (MF) or Sézary syndrome (SS). RESULTS: A total of 141 patients (57.4% male) with a mean age of 63.6 years (95%CI: 61.4-65.7 years) were included. The mean direct annual cost of treating CTCL was 34,214 per patient. The corresponding costs by stage were 11,952.47 for stageI disease, 23,506.21 for stageII disease, 38,771.81 for stageIII disease, and 72,748.84 for stageIV disease. The total direct annual cost of treating MF/SS in public hospitals in Spain was estimated at 78,301,171; stageI disease accounted for 81% of all costs, stageII for 7%, and stagesIII andIV for 6% each. CONCLUSIONS: The MICADOS study offers an accurate picture of the direct cost of treating CTCL in patients with MF/SS in Spain and shows that costs vary significantly according to disease stage. Patient-borne and indirect costs should be analyzed in future studies.
Subject(s)
Lymphoma, T-Cell, Cutaneous , Mycosis Fungoides , Sezary Syndrome , Skin Neoplasms , Adult , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Female , Quality of Life , Spain/epidemiology , Skin Neoplasms/therapy , Skin Neoplasms/pathology , Lymphoma, T-Cell, Cutaneous/epidemiology , Lymphoma, T-Cell, Cutaneous/therapy , Lymphoma, T-Cell, Cutaneous/pathology , Mycosis Fungoides/therapy , Mycosis Fungoides/pathology , Sezary Syndrome/therapy , Sezary Syndrome/pathologyABSTRACT
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: The cost of treating cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL) in Spain is unknown. With the advent of new treatments, it is more important than ever to gain an accurate picture of the true costs involved. The MICADOS study had 2 primary objectives: 1)to evaluate the impact of CTCL on patient quality of life, and 2)to evaluate the costs associated with the disease. This article reports the results of the cost analysis. METHODS: We estimated the cost of treating CTCL over a period of 1year from the perspective of the Spanish National Health System. Twenty-three dermatologists and hematologists from 15 public hospitals analyzed data for adult patients with mycosis fungoides (MF) or Sézary syndrome (SS). RESULTS: A total of 141 patients (57.4% male) with a mean age of 63.6 years (95%CI: 61.4-65.7 years) were included. The mean direct annual cost of treating CTCL was 34,214 per patient. The corresponding costs by stage were 11,952.47 for stageI disease, 23,506.21 for stageII disease, 38,771.81 for stageIII disease, and 72,748.84 for stageIV disease. The total direct annual cost of treating MF/SS in public hospitals in Spain was estimated at 78,301,171; stageI disease accounted for 81% of all costs, stageII for 7%, and stagesIII andIV for 6% each. CONCLUSIONS: The MICADOS study offers an accurate picture of the direct cost of treating CTCL in patients with MF/SS in Spain and shows that costs vary significantly according to disease stage. Patient-borne and indirect costs should be analyzed in future studies.
Subject(s)
Lymphoma, T-Cell, Cutaneous , Mycosis Fungoides , Sezary Syndrome , Skin Neoplasms , Adult , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Female , Quality of Life , Spain/epidemiology , Skin Neoplasms/therapy , Skin Neoplasms/pathology , Lymphoma, T-Cell, Cutaneous/therapy , Lymphoma, T-Cell, Cutaneous/pathology , Mycosis Fungoides/therapy , Mycosis Fungoides/pathology , Sezary Syndrome/therapy , Sezary Syndrome/pathologyABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the role of the 18F-Choline PET/CT in prostate cancer management when detecting distant disease in planning radiotherapy and staging and to evaluate the therapy changes guided by PET/TC results. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A retrospective evaluation was performed on 18F-Choline PET/CT scans of patients with prostate cancer. Staging and planning radiotherapy scans were selected in patients with at least 9 months follow up. There was a total of 56 studies, 33 (58.93%) for staging, and 23 (41.07%) for planning radiotherapy. All scans were obtained using a hybrid PET/CT scanner. The PET/CT acquisition protocol consisted of a dual-phase procedure after the administration of an intravenous injection of 296-370MBq of 18F-Choline. RESULTS: There were 43 out of 56 (76.8%) scans considered as positive, and 13 (23.2%) were negative. The TNM staging was changed in 13 (23.2%) scans. The PET/CT findings ruled out distant disease in 4 out of 13 scans, and unknown distant disease was detected in 9 (69.3%) scans. CONCLUSIONS: 18F-Choline PET/CT is a useful technique for detecting unknown distant disease in prostate cancer when staging and planning radiotherapy. The inclusion of 18F-choline PET/CT should be considered in prostate cancer management protocols.