The Economic Burden of Cutaneous Malignant Melanoma in Greece: Analysis of Real-Word Health Insurance Data

OBJECTIVES: The assessment of the period prevalence and outpatient direct medical costs of Cutaneous Malignant Melanoma (CMM), from the perspective of the national health insurer (EOPYY) in Greece, for the period 2017-2019.

METHODS: Prevalence-based, cost-of-illness study using an electronic, real world, third-party payer database of Healthcare Resource Utilization (HCRU) that includes medical exams and pharmaceuticals prescribed to all patients diagnosed with CMM who received publicly funded outpatient care during the study period. Outpatient HCRU data were extracted based on CMM-related ICD10 codes and costed out using unit costs obtained from EOPYY’s reimbursement lists and effective tariffs.

RESULTS: The period prevalence of CMM was estimated at 46 cases per 100,000 population. The estimated period prevalence was 47 per 100,000 and 45 per 100,000 population for males and females, respectively. The total 2017-2019 outpatient costs amounted to €74,007,121. The annual total outpatient costs were estimated at €20,874,097, €24,093,994 and €29,039,029, for the years 2017, 2018 and 2019, respectively. Pharmaceutical costs represented 93% of total outpatient costs. Male patients incurred slightly higher total costs compared to female patients. Radiological exams and protein kinase inhibitors were the main component of exams’ costs. Monoclonal antibodies were the major cost component of outpatient pharmaceutical costs.

CONCLUSIONS: Cutaneous Malignant Melanoma poses considerable and escalating outpatient costs to the healthcare insurance system in Greece. A substantial proportion of public spending on CMM may be averted by implementing primary and secondary prevention strategies, including counselling on solar Ultraviolet Radiation (UVR) exposure, full-body skin cancer screening and promotion of self-examination.