OBJECTIVES : Hodgkin’s Lymphoma (HL) is a proliferation of lymphoid tumor cells in one organ or more. The objective of this study was to estimate the HL burden of disease in the French setting.

METHODS : The EGB (Echantillon Généraliste de Bénéficiaires) database, a 1/97^th random sample of the French healthcare insurance database linked with the hospital discharge database (PMSI) was used to achieve our study. Retrospective data between 2014 and 2017 were considered to identify incident cases of HL. The index admission was the first admission with principal diagnosis for HL (ICD-10: C81) and patients had to be clear of HL admission in the previous 5 years. Healthcare costs were analyzed from the national health insurance perspective. The study period included the active treatment phase, defined as the period between the index admission and a month after the end of chemotherapy, and for the one-year follow-up period post-chemotherapy. Additional costs attributable to the disease were estimated by comparing the incident HL cohort to a matched cohort, on age and gender, with a 1:5 ratio.

RESULTS : The study identified 67 incident cases with a median follow-up of 178 days (Q1-Q3:144-243) for the active phase. Mean age was 45 years (SD:18), 45% were women, 8% had severe comorbidities (Charlson index ≥3) and 6 deaths (9%) were observed during the study period. Monthly additional cost during the active phase was estimated at €4,941 and for the one-year follow-up period at €989. Main drivers of cost for the active phase were admissions (€2,404), pharmaceuticals (€1,391) and productivity loss (€404). During the active phase and the follow-up period, four patients (6%) and three patients (4%) respectively had transplantation (autograft or allograft).

CONCLUSIONS : This study confirms the significant economic burden of HL disease in France and provide up-to-date economic data that could support decision making.