OBJECTIVES : To describe the health care resource utilization (HCRU) and related costs in different disease stages of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in Finland.

METHODS : Real world data of adult patients (≥18 years) diagnosed with AML (ICD-10 C92.0) and initiating induction treatment during 1.1.2016-30.6.2020 in the hospital district of Helsinki and Uusimaa (HUS) were included in the study. HCRU data were defined to include outpatient visits, inpatient stays, procedures, and laboratory measurements and were collected from the electronic health records. The unit costs were extracted from the 2020 hospital price list. Costs related to surgical operations, imaging or medication were not included in the cost calculations. Costs are reported as average cost per patient and per month.

RESULTS : A total of 81 diagnosed patients (58% female) with the mean age of 53 years and median follow-up time of nearly 2 years were identified. The most frequent comorbidities at diagnosis included hematological and infectious diseases, reflecting the immunological changes and preconditions related to AML. Patients spent on average 106.8 days at the inpatient ward. The average per patient cost during the study follow-up was 170,808€, i.e. approx. 6,860€/month (28d) per patient. Cost accumulation rate (per 28d) was the highest in pre-induction and induction stages. During the first 3 months post diagnosis, patients consumed on average 77,905€ (25,968€/month) worth of specialty care healthcare resources, up to two years the mean cumulative costs increased to 198,254€, and up to four years to 221,717€ (782€/month).

CONCLUSIONS : The early phases of AML treatment consume a substantial amount of public healthcare resources, after which the cost rate gradually decreases. The estimated mean cumulative costs as a function of time in HUS is expected to reflect the overall costs in Finland as the treatment of AML patients follow national guidelines and is centralized into five University Hospitals.