Economic evaluation of cancer treatments

Abstract

Cancer is an important cause of illness and death, accounting for a high percentage of mortality in Western countries. In the Netherlands, about 30% of all deaths is due to cancel' and the prevalence, an indicator of the present burden of illness to society, is clearly rising (Coebergh, 1991). In the last decades cancer treatment has shown a rapid evolution. It is now a multidisciplinary treatment strategy incorporating surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy and immunotherapy. The high incidence and prevalence of cancer make this disease a major economic issue. The direct medical costs are considerable and are still rising due to the increased use of expensive drugs, radiotherapy equipment, the growing attention to various kinds of palliative interventions and survival success. In the Netherlands, the total direct medical costs of malignant cancer amounte