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Cost-Effectiveness Studies in Cancers
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Cost-Effectiveness Studies in Cancers

A special issue of Cancers (ISSN 2072-6694). This special issue belongs to the section "Cancer Survivorship and Quality of Life".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2025 | Viewed by 5431

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Ippazio Cosimo Antonazzo

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Guest Editor
Research Centre on Public Health, University of Milan-Bicocca, 20900 Monza, Italy
Interests: public health; health-economics; drug-utilization; (pharmaco)epidemiology; pharmacovigilance
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Paolo Angelo Cortesi

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Guest Editor
1. Research Centre on Public Health, University of Milano-Bicocca, 20900 Monza, Italy
2. Laboratory of Public Helath, Auxologico IRCCS, 20122 Milan, Italy
Interests: health economics; public health and epidemiology
Dr. Pietro Ferrara

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Center for Public Health Research, University of Milan-Bicocca, Via Pergolesi 33, 20900 Monza, Italy
Interests: epidemiology; public health; preventive medicine; vaccinology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Cancers are among the leading causes of death worldwide, accounting for approximately 10.0 million deaths in 2022. The incidence and mortality of cancer are expected to rise in the coming decades due to an aging population and the interaction of various risk factors, including tobacco use, alcohol use, unhealthy diet, physical inactivity, and air pollution. Cancer imposes a significant health, humanistic, and economic burden on society. It affects all aspects of the economy, including increased costs associated with patient management, reduced productivity, unemployment, labor losses, and decreased capital investment. Some studies estimate that cancer will cost the global economy USD 25.2 trillion, underscoring the urgent need for investment in cancer prevention, diagnosis, control, treatment, and rehabilitation.

In recent decades, the advent of genomic medicine and precision oncology has helped improve treatment outcomes. Advances in the understanding of molecular pathways and the availability of technologies for detecting actionable genetic mutations have enabled the development of targeted therapies that block specific pathway activities, thereby allowing personalized treatment options. However, these new treatments have posed significant challenges in sustainability and equity access to all patients for national healthcare systems. In this context, it is crucial to assess whether the additional costs of new treatments are justified by improved health outcomes. Therefore, decision modeling plays a crucial role in estimating the value of new cancer therapies. Given the increasing demand for new, effective treatments within the constraints of a limited healthcare budget, cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) provides decision makers with an objective basis for informed decision making.

This Special Issue aims for the following:

  • Update the current knowledge on methodological aspects of conducting economic evaluations for cancer therapies;
  • Provide new evidence on cost-effectiveness of innovative treatments used in the management of patients with cancer;
  • Summarize evidence on the cost-effectiveness of cancer innovative treatments, as well as on the methods used to analyze health economic aspects of these therapies.

In this Special Issue, original articles and reviews are welcome. 

Dr. Ippazio Cosimo Antonazzo
Dr. Paolo Cortesi
Dr. Pietro Ferrara
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Cancers is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • cancer therapies
  • cost-effectiveness
  • cost-utility
  • cost-consequence
  • treatment economic impact
  • health economic
  • economic sustainability
  • public health
  • decision analytical models.

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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10 pages, 402 KB  
Article
Direct and Indirect Costs of Cancer in Adult Population of Poland in the Period 2021–2023
by Izabela Gąska, Aleksandra Czerw, Monika Pajewska, Olga Partyka, Dorota Charkiewicz, Andrzej Deptała, Anna Badowska-Kozakiewicz, Katarzyna Sygit, Ireneusz Dziubek, Paulina Wojtyła-Buciora, Jarosław Drobnik, Piotr Pobrotyn, Dorota Waśko-Czopnik, Tomasz Sowiński, Julia Pobrotyn, Adam Wiatkowski, Ewa Bandurska, Weronika Ciećko, Elżbieta Grochans, Anna Maria Cybulska, Daria Schneider-Matyka, Kamila Rachubińska, Tomasz Czapla, Karolina Kamecka and Remigiusz Kozlowskiadd Show full author list remove Hide full author list
Cancers 2025, 17(23), 3725; https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers17233725 - 21 Nov 2025
Viewed by 250
Abstract
Background/Objectives: Cancer is the second most common cause of death in Poland, responsible for 26.7% of deaths in 2023. Our aim was to estimate total direct and indirect costs of cancer in Poland. Methods: We acquired epidemiological data from the System Analysis and [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: Cancer is the second most common cause of death in Poland, responsible for 26.7% of deaths in 2023. Our aim was to estimate total direct and indirect costs of cancer in Poland. Methods: We acquired epidemiological data from the System Analysis and Implementation Database provided Polish Ministry of Health. For estimating the direct costs of medical procedures and chemotherapy, we used statistics of homogeneous groups of patients provided by the Polish National Health Fund. For analyzing the indirect costs in the field of absenteeism we acquired data from Statistical Portal of Polish Social Insurance Institution. Results: The total direct costs of treatment for cancer in the adult population in the period 2021–2023 to be equal to USD 192,935,858, taking purchasing power parity of Polish currency into account. This was equal to 0.00394% of General Domestic Product. The costs associated with absenteeism were equal to USD 3,103,526,321, which was equal to 0.063% of GDP. The sum of Years of Potential Life Lost was equal to 930,962 and the sum of Years of Potential Productive Life Lost was equal to 363,511. Cancer morbidity and incidence in the period 2021–2023 increased by 1.3%. Mortality increased by 2.1%. The total cost of medical services relative to GDP in 2022 was lower than in 2021; in 2023, however, it was higher than both in 2021 and 2022. The cost of chemotherapy, both in absolute numbers and relative to GDP, was significantly lower in 2022 than in 2021. Conclusions: In 2023, the cost was higher than in 2021 and in 2022. The costs of absenteeism in three consecutive years increased. Years of Potential Life Lost and Years of Potential Productive Life Lost due to cancer increased substantially in the period 2021–2023, both for males and for females, in all three age groups. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cost-Effectiveness Studies in Cancers)
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12 pages, 482 KB  
Article
Social Burden and Healthcare Costs of Colorectal Cancer
by Izabela Gąska, Aleksandra Czerw, Monika Pajewska, Olga Partyka, Andrzej Deptała, Anna Badowska-Kozakiewicz, Natalia Czerw, Dominika Mękal, Katarzyna Sygit, Klaudia Malikowska, Jarosław Drobnik, Piotr Pobrotyn, Dorota Waśko-Czopnik, Tomasz Sowiński, Ewa Bandurska, Weronika Ciećko, Elżbieta Grochans, Anna Maria Cybulska, Daria Schneider-Matyka, Kamila Rachubińska, Petre Iltchev, Tomasz Czapla and Remigiusz Kozlowskiadd Show full author list remove Hide full author list
Cancers 2025, 17(22), 3678; https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers17223678 - 17 Nov 2025
Viewed by 323
Abstract
Background: Colorectal cancer is the third most common malignant cancer, and according to the predictions, the estimated number of new cases will grow in coming years. Therefore, an increase in the costs of the disease will increase as well. Therefore, there is a [...] Read more.
Background: Colorectal cancer is the third most common malignant cancer, and according to the predictions, the estimated number of new cases will grow in coming years. Therefore, an increase in the costs of the disease will increase as well. Therefore, there is a need for continuous research on the costs and the economic burden of colorectal cancer and for reviewing the research results systematically. The current paper presents a literature review regarding the state of knowledge about the costs of treatment and the economic burden of colorectal cancer. Methods: A total of 20 papers from MEDLINE database were included in the final analysis. The review is focused on the estimates of direct costs, i.e., treatment of colorectal cancer, screening after treatment, and indirect costs. Results: the vast majority of studies were focused on direct costs only, which clearly shows the literature gap. Metastatic colorectal cancer was the most frequent category for various treatment cost evaluation. The costs associated with the use of bevacizumab in various combinations were calculated most frequently. Conclusions: Further summarizing review and developing a methodology for standardized comparisons is necessary, specifically addressing indirect costs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cost-Effectiveness Studies in Cancers)
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14 pages, 310 KB  
Article
Direct and Indirect Costs of Prostate Cancer: A Comprehensive Assessment of Economic and Social Impact
by Izabela Gąska, Aleksandra Czerw, Monika Pajewska, Olga Partyka, Andrzej Deptała, Anna Badowska-Kozakiewicz, Natalia Czerw, Dominika Mękal, Katarzyna Sygit, Katarzyna Wojtyła-Blicharska, Jarosław Drobnik, Piotr Pobrotyn, Dorota Waśko-Czopnik, Adam Wiatkowski, Michał Marczak, Tomasz Czapla, Ewa Bandurska, Weronika Ciećko, Elżbieta Grochans, Anna M. Cybulska, Daria Schneider-Matyka, Kamila Rachubińska and Remigiusz Kozlowskiadd Show full author list remove Hide full author list
Cancers 2025, 17(19), 3257; https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers17193257 - 8 Oct 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1247
Abstract
Background: Prostate cancer is the second most common malignant cancer among men, and according to the predictions, the estimated number of new cases will substantially grow in the coming years. Therefore, the costs of the disease will increase as well. Methods: We conducted [...] Read more.
Background: Prostate cancer is the second most common malignant cancer among men, and according to the predictions, the estimated number of new cases will substantially grow in the coming years. Therefore, the costs of the disease will increase as well. Methods: We conducted a literature review of the state of knowledge about the costs of treatment and the economic burden of prostate cancer. The vast majority of studies were focused on direct costs only, which clearly shows the literature gap. Results: We focused on the estimates of direct costs, i.e., treatment of prostate cancer, adjuvant and neoadjuvant treatment, and supportive and palliative care, and indirect costs. Cost-effectiveness analyses indicated that docetaxel combined with androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) was the most cost-effective strategy for metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer (incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER): USD 13,647). In contrast, novel therapies such as PARP inhibitors and whole-genome-sequencing-guided treatments were not cost-effective unless drug prices were reduced by 47–70%. In the United States, 5-year cumulative treatment costs ranged from USD 48,000 for conservative management to over USD 91,000 for radiotherapy, while out-of-pocket expenses averaged AUD 1172 in Australia. Indirect costs were also considerable, with Slovakia reporting an increase in sick leave costs from EUR 1.2 million in 2014 to EUR 2.1 million in 2022. Conclusions: Metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer and metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer were the most frequent categories for various treatment cost evaluations. A few specific combinations of drugs were cost-effective only under the condition of dropping the unit prices of a medication. Further summarizing, reviewing, and developing a methodology for standardized comparisons are needed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cost-Effectiveness Studies in Cancers)
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21 pages, 2101 KB  
Article
The Cost-Effectiveness of Sugemalimab Plus CAPOX in Treating Advanced Gastric Cancer: Analysis from the GEMSTONE-303 Trial
by Chen-Han Chueh, Wei-Ming Huang, Ming-Yu Hong, Yi-Wen Tsai, Nai-Jung Chiang and Hsiao-Ling Chen
Cancers 2025, 17(19), 3171; https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers17193171 - 29 Sep 2025
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Abstract
Background/Objectives: Sugemalimab demonstrated clinical efficacy in the GEMSTONE-303 trial, but its cost-effectiveness remains unclear. This study aims to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of sugemalimab in combination with chemotherapy (CAPOX) as a first-line treatment for patients with advanced or metastatic gastric or gastroesophageal junction (G/GEJ) [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: Sugemalimab demonstrated clinical efficacy in the GEMSTONE-303 trial, but its cost-effectiveness remains unclear. This study aims to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of sugemalimab in combination with chemotherapy (CAPOX) as a first-line treatment for patients with advanced or metastatic gastric or gastroesophageal junction (G/GEJ) adenocarcinoma, compared to chemotherapy alone, from the perspective of Taiwan’s healthcare payer. Methods: A partitioned survival model was developed to simulate outcomes over a 40-year time horizon, and model parameters were derived from GEMSTONE-303 and the wider literature. Health benefits were measured in quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs), and only direct medical costs were included, with both discounted at an annual rate of 3%. The willingness-to-pay threshold was set at three times the 2024 GDP per capita. Deterministic and probabilistic sensitivity analyses were conducted alongside scenario analyses. Results: Compared to capecitabine and oxaliplatin (CAPOX) alone, adding sugemalimab yielded an incremental gain of 0.39 QALYs at an additional cost of USD 47,020, resulting in an incremental net monetary benefit of −USD 7478. Conclusions: Sugemalimab plus CAPOX is not cost-effective for advanced or metastatic G/GEJ adenocarcinoma from the Taiwan payer’s perspective. Achieving cost-effectiveness would require a 20–30% price reduction for sugemalimab (to USD 1204–USD 1376 per 600 mg), assuming first-line therapy is administered for the median treatment duration observed in the GEMSTONE-303 trial. If reimbursement continued until disease progression, a reduction of approximately 68% would be required (USD 550 per 600 mg). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cost-Effectiveness Studies in Cancers)
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14 pages, 434 KB  
Systematic Review
The Cost of Breast Cancer: Economic and Social Perspective
by Izabela Gąska, Aleksandra Czerw, Monika Pajewska, Olga Partyka, Andrzej Deptała, Anna Badowska-Kozakiewicz, Michał Budzik, Katarzyna Sygit, Paulina Wojtyła-Buciora, Jarosław Drobnik, Piotr Pobrotyn, Dorota Waśko-Czopnik, Julia Pobrotyn, Ewa Bandurska, Weronika Ciećko, Elżbieta Grochans, Anna M. Cybulska, Daria Schneider-Matyka, Kamila Rachubińska, Petre Iltchev, Tomasz Czapla and Remigiusz Kozlowskiadd Show full author list remove Hide full author list
Cancers 2025, 17(18), 3012; https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers17183012 - 15 Sep 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2046
Abstract
Breast cancer is the most common malignant cancer among women, following lung cancer in the general population [...] Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cost-Effectiveness Studies in Cancers)
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