[Economic assessments of head and neck cancers: a review]

The aim of this study is to perform a review of the literature on economic studies in the area of head and neck cancer (including the cancers of the buccal cavity, the larynx, and the pharynx). French and international literature (as reported on Medline and OHE-IFPMA databases) has been reviewed. This research demonstrated the lack of economic data in this field. In France, only one study was found, assessing the cost of the treatment of head and neck cancer in hospital to 29 billions French Francs including 2.3 billions linked to head and neck cancer. This relative indifference is possibly due to the heterogeneity and the low incidence of the studied pathologies. In addition, the research highlighted the great interest of dealing with quality of life in such physically and psychologically disabling illnesses. To facilitate the decision making and to allow optimal resource allocation in the area of costly health strategies, we should develop in France an economic evaluation of the head and neck cancer, while taking care of integrating the notion of quality of life into the analysis.