Costs and Resource Use of Prostate Cancer Before and After Diagnosis in Finland

OBJECTIVES: Prostate cancer (PC) is the second most common cancer in men globally, and it poses a substantial financial burden to societies. This retrospective registry-based study assessed the financial impact of PC in Finland by estimating the annual direct and indirect costs, and by comparing costs one year before and after diagnosis among patients with PC.

METHODS: Patients were identified from the Finnish Cancer Registry, and the study cohort included newly diagnosed patients in 2017 and prevalent patients in 2018. Data on healthcare resource use (HCRU) were obtained from national specialized and primary healthcare registers. Data on reimbursed medicine purchases and reimbursed sick leaves were collected from the registers of Finnish Social Security Institution. The HCRU valued to monetary units using the latest available national unit costs.

RESULTS: In total, 5463 newly diagnosed patients with PC were identified in 2017. Median age at diagnosis was 70 years, and 287 patients died within one year from diagnosis. The costs per patient-year were estimated at €4.7K and €15.2K within one year before and after diagnosis, respectively. During the first year after diagnosis, 56% of HCRU costs were PC-specific; outpatient visits in specialized care being the key cost driver. Total costs among the 42533 prevalent patients (39033 patient-years) in 2018 were €345M. Around 36% of these total annual costs were PC-specific; outpatient medication and outpatient visits in specialized care being the key cost drivers.

CONCLUSIONS: Prostate cancer diagnosis is associated with a substantial increase in healthcare costs. Understanding cost dynamics is essential for enhancing more effective resource allocation and improving care access.