Dr. Murray Krahn and Karen Bremner find cancer health costs for children are higher than for adoloescents.
The International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR) and the University Health Network (UHN) Newsroom announced today the publication of original research estimating the costs of cancer care in children and adolescents. The study found that treating children with cancer is more costly than treating adolescents or adults. The report of the findings, Costs for Childhood and Adolescent Cancer, 90 Days Pre-Diagnosis and 1-Year Post-Diagnosis: A Population-Based Study in Ontario, Canada, was published in the March 2017 issue of Value in Health.
"This study is significant in that it included large, population-based cohorts of children and adolescents along with a comprehensive analysis of the vast majority of health care costs and all major cancer sites," noted co-authors Karen Bremner, Research Associate at the Toronto General Hospital Research Institute, (TGHRI) and Dr. Claire de Oliveira, Centre of Addiction and Mental Health. In addition, "[…] Despite the high costs of treatment, cancer care for children may be cost effective due to the dramatic and long-term effects of cancer therapies on overall survival. However, we cannot know this without conducting careful and comprehensive studies to assess cost-effectiveness."
Dr. Murray Krahn, Senior Scientist at the TGHRI, is also a senior author of the study.
Fragments reprinted from UHN and ISPOR news releases. Posted on March 27, 2017.