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Palliative treatment of colorectal cancer in Germany: cost of care and quality of life

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Abstract

Introduction

To estimate the costs of palliative care for colorectal cancer (CRC) from the perspective of German statutory health insurance and to measure the patients’ quality of life (QoL) for a 2-year time period.

Methods

A prospective observational multicentre study was carried out to estimate the direct costs of care over a 2-year period. Case report forms, medical records, and claims data were all applied to document medical and resource usage data in real-world settings. QoL was measured by using the Short Form-12 Health Survey.

Results

In total 101 patients (mean age 67.09 ± 11.13 years, 68 % male) from 12 different settings were included. The mean costs per patient during the 1st and 2nd years were calculated to be 42,361€ and 32,023€, respectively. Highest mean costs were calculated for the second quarter, which reached an amount of 12,900€ (95 % CI: 11,127€–14,673€). Mean physical summary scores and mean mental summary scores were 41.8 and 49.7, respectively.

Discussion

This is the first study assessing the costs of palliative care and the quality of life of patients with CRC in real-world health-care delivery in Germany. It could be shown that CRC treatment represents an enormous economic burden to the German health-care system. Increased efforts in promoting effective and efficient treatment options, or performance-based medication reimbursement schemes, might be helpful in reducing the costs.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by AOK Bayern, Pfizer, Roche, Medac, MerckSerono, and Fresenius.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Chair of Health Management , School of Business and Economics, Institute of Management (IFM), Friedrich Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg, Lange Gasse 20, 90403, Nuremberg, Germany

    Martin Emmert, Katharina Pohl-Dernick & Oliver Schöffski

  2. Pharmacy Department, Erlangen University Hospital, Nuremberg, Germany

    Frank Dörje & Robert Joost

  3. Department of Surgery, Friedrich Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg, Nuremberg, Germany

    Susanne Merkel & Werner Hohenberger

  4. Department of Medicine 1, Gastroenterology, Pneumology and Endocrinology, Friedrich Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg, Nuremberg, Germany

    Axel Wein, Frank Boxberger, Gudrun Männlein & Markus F. Neurath

  5. Practice for Oncology, Hof, Germany

    Hans-Detlev Harich

  6. Practice for Oncology, Forchheim, Germany

    Roland Thiemann

  7. Ambulatory Healthcare Centre; Hospital Coburg, Coburg, Germany

    Christof Lamberti

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  1. Martin Emmert
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  2. Katharina Pohl-Dernick
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  3. Axel Wein
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  9. Hans-Detlev Harich
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  14. Oliver Schöffski
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Correspondence to Martin Emmert.

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Emmert, M., Pohl-Dernick, K., Wein, A. et al. Palliative treatment of colorectal cancer in Germany: cost of care and quality of life. Eur J Health Econ 14, 629–638 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10198-012-0408-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10198-012-0408-5

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