Identification and Economic Evaluation of Differentiated Thyroid Cancer Care Consumption Patterns Using Sequence...

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Health Economics
• Public Health

Background:

• Differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC) management involves significant healthcare costs.
• Understanding cost drivers is crucial for effective resource allocation and patient care.
• Socioeconomic factors may influence healthcare utilization and treatment expenses.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate how care consumption patterns and individual characteristics, particularly socioeconomic position, affect the cost of treating DTC in France.
• To identify key predictors of high care consumption in DTC patients.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a net cost approach with data from the EVATHYR cohort and French National Health Insurance database.
• Employed Optimal Matching and clustering for care consumption pattern analysis.
• Applied multinomial logistic regression and generalized estimating equations to assess influencing factors on patterns and costs.

Main Results:

• Average initial 3-year cost for DTC treatment was €13,753 per patient.
• High cancer recurrence risk, female gender, and socioeconomic deprivation were associated with higher DTC-specific care consumption.
• High DTC-specific care consumers incurred 35% higher general care costs (RR = 1.35).

Conclusions:

• DTC management costs are significantly influenced by patient consumption habits and socioeconomic status.
• Nuanced management strategies are needed to address cost variations in DTC care.
• Further research into socioeconomic impacts on DTC treatment costs is warranted.