Subcutaneous vs. Intravenous Administration in Oncology: A Literature Review of Impacts on Patients, Providers, and Hospitals
Author(s)
Katia Thokagevistk, PhD1, Sarah Mir, MD1, Sarah Saget, PhD1, Alexandre Gherardi, Master1, Amandine Groenez, MD1, Julie PAOLANTONACCI, Master2, Anne-Cécile Régin, Msc2, Béchir Ben Hadj Yahia, MD,PhD1, Cyril Esnault, MSc1, Christos CHOUAID, MD,PhD3.
1Roche, Boulogne-Billancourt, France, 2IQVIA, La Défense, France, 3CHI Creteil France, Créteil, France.
1Roche, Boulogne-Billancourt, France, 2IQVIA, La Défense, France, 3CHI Creteil France, Créteil, France.
OBJECTIVES: To investigate the impact of the subcutaneous (SC) form compared to the intravenous (IV) form in oncology on patients, healthcare professionals, and hospitals.
METHODS: A pragmatic literature review (01/2017-09/2023) was conducted, guided by PICO methodology. Sixteen publications from 5 European countries (France, Italy, Germany, Spain and UK) were selected for analysis, comprising 15 scientific papers sourced from PubMed and one poster identified in the grey literature.
RESULTS: Among the 16 publications, focusing primarily on breast cancer and non-Hodgkin lymphoma, there were 8 observational studies, 3 clinical studies, 3 literature reviews, 1 white paper, and 1 economic model. Most studies (69%) compared the impacts of IV and SC forms from multiple perspectives. The impacts on healthcare professionals and hospitals were documented in 69% of the publications. Patient impacts were addressed in 56% of the studies, and economic impacts were explored in 63% of the documents. All studies highlighted that 69.0% to 98.9% of patients prefer the SC route over the IV route. This preference extended to healthcare professionals, 63.6-100.0% of whom in most studies also preferred SC administration. Using the SC route improved patient care by saving time in various management phases: treatment preparation (e.g., saving 5.6-21 minutes for rituximab), administration (82% mean reduction for targeted therapies), chair time (reduction of 52%-73.6% for trastuzumab), and duration of outpatient stay (reduction of 32.89%-68% for trastuzumab). The time saved could lead to increased hospital capacity for chemotherapy sessions (rise of 3.35% and 23.1% without and with SC dedicated processes). All studies exploring economic impact consistently showed savings (€109-€496 per cycle for rituximab).
CONCLUSIONS: The SC route in oncology offers benefits for patients and healthcare professionals, leading to its preference. The substantial time savings can directly translate into opportunities for resource optimization and economic gains, which can be maximized by implementing dedicated pathways for SC administration.
METHODS: A pragmatic literature review (01/2017-09/2023) was conducted, guided by PICO methodology. Sixteen publications from 5 European countries (France, Italy, Germany, Spain and UK) were selected for analysis, comprising 15 scientific papers sourced from PubMed and one poster identified in the grey literature.
RESULTS: Among the 16 publications, focusing primarily on breast cancer and non-Hodgkin lymphoma, there were 8 observational studies, 3 clinical studies, 3 literature reviews, 1 white paper, and 1 economic model. Most studies (69%) compared the impacts of IV and SC forms from multiple perspectives. The impacts on healthcare professionals and hospitals were documented in 69% of the publications. Patient impacts were addressed in 56% of the studies, and economic impacts were explored in 63% of the documents. All studies highlighted that 69.0% to 98.9% of patients prefer the SC route over the IV route. This preference extended to healthcare professionals, 63.6-100.0% of whom in most studies also preferred SC administration. Using the SC route improved patient care by saving time in various management phases: treatment preparation (e.g., saving 5.6-21 minutes for rituximab), administration (82% mean reduction for targeted therapies), chair time (reduction of 52%-73.6% for trastuzumab), and duration of outpatient stay (reduction of 32.89%-68% for trastuzumab). The time saved could lead to increased hospital capacity for chemotherapy sessions (rise of 3.35% and 23.1% without and with SC dedicated processes). All studies exploring economic impact consistently showed savings (€109-€496 per cycle for rituximab).
CONCLUSIONS: The SC route in oncology offers benefits for patients and healthcare professionals, leading to its preference. The substantial time savings can directly translate into opportunities for resource optimization and economic gains, which can be maximized by implementing dedicated pathways for SC administration.
Conference/Value in Health Info
2025-11, ISPOR Europe 2025, Glasgow, Scotland
Value in Health, Volume 28, Issue S2
Code
HSD105
Topic
Health Service Delivery & Process of Care, Organizational Practices, Study Approaches
Disease
Oncology