Cost Analysis of XELOX vs FOLFOX4 for Colorectal Cancer Treatment
Author Information
Author(s): Vicki C Tse, Wai Tong Ng, Victor Lee, Anne WM Lee, Daniel TT Chua, June Chau, Sarah M McGhee
Primary Institution: The University of Hong Kong
Hypothesis
This study compares the costs of XELOX and FOLFOX4 in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer recently treated in two oncology departments in Hong Kong.
Conclusion
XELOX costs less than FOLFOX4 for this patient group with MCRC from both the healthcare provider and societal perspectives.
Supporting Evidence
- XELOX patients received an average of 7.3 chemotherapy cycles, while FOLFOX4 patients received 9.2 cycles.
- Total treatment cost per patient was $16,609 for XELOX and $23,672 for FOLFOX4.
- FOLFOX4 was 37% more expensive than XELOX.
Takeaway
This study found that using XELOX is cheaper than using FOLFOX4 for treating colorectal cancer, which means patients and healthcare providers can save money.
Methodology
Cost data were collected from the medical records of 60 consecutive patients (30 received XELOX and 30 FOLFOX4) from two hospitals.
Potential Biases
Allocation to treatment might have been biased by patient characteristics, and socio-economic status information was not available.
Limitations
The study was retrospective and non-randomised, which may introduce bias in treatment allocation.
Participant Demographics
Patients with previously untreated metastatic colorectal cancer from two large general hospitals in Hong Kong.
Statistical Information
Confidence Interval
95%CI: $14,976-18,019 for XELOX and $20,010-24,315 for FOLFOX4
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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