According to a story from Cancer Therapy Advisor, a recent study published in the journal Cancer Medicine indicated that chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) patients who dealt with adverse events during treatment paid on average six times as much in medical costs when compared with patients who did not experience adverse events. The study looked at data from patients that spanned from July 2012 to June 2015.
About Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL)
Chronic lymphocytic leukemia is a form of blood cancer which affects lymphocytes, which are a type of white blood cell. The disease may not cause noticeable symptoms in its early stages. This cancer is linked to certain genetic mutations; notable risk factor for this blood cancer include old age, being male, exposure to certain insecticides, exposure to Agent Orange, and family history. Symptoms of chronic lymphocytic leukemia include fever, anemia, swollen lymph nodes, weight loss, and fatigue. It is also possible for this disease to transform into a more aggressive and faster progressing type of blood cancer like Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Treatment for this disease focuses mostly on controlling symptoms, and there is no cure. These treatments may include radiation therapy, chemotherapy, surgery, bone marrow transplant, or biological therapy. As a slow growing cancer, the five year survival rate is 83 percent. To learn more about chronic lymphocytic leukemia, click here.
Study Results
The most common comorbidities found during the analysis were infection, which affected 49 percent of patients, and hypertension (high blood pressure), which impacted 40 percent. 29 percent of chronic lymphocytic leukemia patients were actually receiving systemic treatment during the study period. These patients had greater costs per month ($5,185 for disease related events) verses those that were not ($1885). The mean monthly costs were the greatest for patients that were being treated with ibrutinib at $21,766 per month.
The mean costs per month were also consistently higher in patients that experienced a greater number of adverse events. Patients that saw no events only saw a mean of $905, but this jumps to $6,032 for chronic lymphocytic leukemia patients who saw six or more adverse events per month.
These findings make it clear that treatment for the disease carries a significant adverse event burden that can have a major impact on overall healthcare costs.
Check out the original study here.
