Healthcare and Sick Leave Costs of Lung and Trachea Cancer Before and After Diagnosis

OBJECTIVES: Lung and trachea cancer (LTC) is one of the most common cancers and leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide causing significant economic burden to societies. This retrospective registry-based study assessed the financial impact of LTC in Finland by estimating the annual healthcare costs and costs due to sick leaves, and by comparing costs one year before and after diagnosis among patients with LTC.

METHODS: Patients were identified from the Finnish Cancer Registry, and the study cohort included newly diagnosed patients in 2017 and prevalent patients in 2018. Data on healthcare resource use (HCRU) were collected from national healthcare registers. The HCRU costs were assessed by multiplying the numbers of primary and specialized care contacts by respective national unit costs. Data on reimbursed medicine purchases and reimbursed sick leaves were collected from the registers of Finnish Social Security Institution.

RESULTS: In 2017, 2,855 newly diagnosed lung or trachea cancer patients were identified, 63% of whom were male, with a median age of 71 years. Within one year of diagnosis, 61% (1,741) of these patients died. Costs per patient-year were €9.6K before diagnosis and €35.2K after. During the first year after diagnosis, 52% of healthcare costs were LTC-specific, mainly driven by inpatient episodes and outpatient visits in specialized care. For the 7,749 prevalent patients in 2018, total costs were €104M, with 45% being LTC-specific, again driven by inpatient and outpatient visits in specialized care.

CONCLUSIONS: Lung and trachea cancer (LTC) imposes a significant economic burden with sharp increase of healthcare costs after diagnosis. High mortality rates and substantial costs highlight the need for improved early detection and treatment strategies.