Real-world patterns of healthcare use, costs, and survival in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma: a nationwide Swedish register study

To describe healthcare resource utilization (HCRU), direct costs, and survival of DLBCL patients in Sweden.

This retrospective cohort study followed adult patients with DLBCL from 2015 to 2023 using Swedish national registers. Time in specialty care was calculated as days per-person-year (PPY). Nordic diagnosis-related-group weights were used to estimate costs.

7,503 patients were diagnosed with DLBCL. Median age was 73.0 years; 56.9% male and 55.0% had ≥ 1 comorbidity. On average, patients spent 17.6 days (4.8% annually) PPY in care, with average costs of €15,417 PPY. HCRU was highest in the first and second year with 41.7 days (11.4%) and 12.6 days (3.5%) in care, respectively. Average time in care declined from 13.7 days (3.8%) in 2015 to 11.9 days (3.3%) in 2019, then stabilized. Overall survival was 76.5% (95%CI: 75.5-77.4) and 68.9% (95%CI: 67.9-70.0) at 1 and 2 years from diagnosis.

DLBCL patients spent considerable time in specialist care, especially in the first two years post-diagnosis. Care use and costs remained stable over the period. This study provides the first population-level estimates of HCRU and direct costs for DLBCL in Sweden, offering valuable context for current management and future integration of evolving treatment strategies.