Pharmacoeconomics of Cancer Therapy

BACKGROUND: In 1990, annual costs of the diagnosis and treatment of cancer reached nearly $100 billion and currently constitutes approximately 10% of health care expenditures in the United States. As new and often more expensive therapies for cancer treatment become available, the health care decision-maker must consider the cost effectiveness of the therapy. METHODS: Key principles of economic analyses and the inherent differences among these analyses are reviewed. Results: While pharmacoeconomic analyses are increasingly being used in treatment decision-making, several issues relating to study design, data collection, and research methods are controversial. CONCLUSIONS: Pharmacoeconomics analyses are necessary in the current health care environment, but the assumptions used within the analyses warrant careful evaluation.