€2.7 billion for the treatment of patients with pancreatic cancer: an overview and perspectives in France.

INTRODUCTION

Pancreatic cancer is an aggressive disease that is typically diagnosed at an advanced stage. The five-year overall survival rate is below 10%. Despite the increasing incidence of pancreatic cancer, data on the economic burden of the disease in France are scarce. The objective of the present study was to estimate the economic burden of pancreatic cancer from the perspective of the French health insurance system.

METHODS

A cohort of patients diagnosed in 2014 was identified using data from the French National Health Data System. The costs encompassed all health insurance expenditure over five years. Our national estimates combined annual costs per patient, survival rates, and incidence data from the French National Cancer Institute.

RESULTS

A total of 8,771 patients were identified. The median [interquartile range] cost per patient was €33,053 [€13,427-€63,315] and the mean (standard deviation) cost was €45,442 (€42,764). The median annual cost was €26,203 in year 1 and €4,439 in year 5. Hospital stays accounted for 70% of the total cost in year 1. The total cumulative cost for the 2014 cohort was €539.1 million. For patients diagnosed between 2014 and 2018, the economic burden was €2.7 billion.

CONCLUSION

Given the poor prognosis, pancreatic cancer represents a major economic burden on the French healthcare system. Our results highlight the need to strengthen prevention programmes, promote earlier detection, and optimise the risk-benefit ratio of treatments by identifying predictive biomarkers.