Abstract
Background: The analysis of published survival curves can be used as the basis for incremental cost-effectiveness analyses in which two treatments are compared with each other in terms of cost per life year saved. In patients with node-positive breast cancer adjuvant chemotherapy with cyclophosphamide + methotrexate + fluorouracil has been reported to improve survival in comparison with patients who are not given this treatment.
Methods:
To assess the pharmacoeconomic profile of this adjuvant chemotherapeutic regimen in terms of cost per life-year gained, we conducted an incremental cost-effectiveness analysis in which the Gompertz model was used to calculate the lifetime estimate of the patient-years gained by treated subjects compared to controls.
Results:
Using data from a published, controlled long-term trial involving 207 patients treated with cyclophosphamide + methotrexate + fluorouracil and 179 controls, we estimated that this adjuvant chemotherapy improved life expectancy by 357 patient-years per 100 subjects. Direct costs, which were almost exclusively related to the administration of chemotherapy, were estimated to be US $159,516 per 100 patients. On the basis of these data, adjuvant chemotherapy was found to imply an incremental cost of US $447 per life-year saved.
Conclusions:
The cost-effectiveness ratio of adjuvant chemotherapy with cyclophosphamide + methotrexate + fluorouracil in patients with node-positive breast cancer seems to be particularly favourable in comparison with estimates of cost per life-year saved previously calculated for other types of pharmacological intervention.
Similar content being viewed by others
Change history
24 March 2009
An Erratum to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1007/s002280050225
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Received: 16 November 1995/Accepted in revised form: 25 March 1996
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Messori, A., Becagli, P., Trippoli, S. et al. Cost-effectiveness of adjuvant chemotherapy with cyclophosphamide + methotrexate + fluorouracil in patients with node-positive breast cancer. E J Clin Pharmacol 51, 111–116 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/s002280050169
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s002280050169