OBJECTIVES: Lung cancer is one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers and leading causes of death from cancer worldwide. The purpose of this study is to determine the treatment cost of locally advanced and metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) diseases with real-world data in Turkiye.

METHODS: The study, a nationwide chart review from multiple centers, included all diagnosed patients with locally advanced and metastatic NSCLC between January 1st, 2018, and December 31st, 2021, gathering real-world data anonymously from 7 centers spanning 6 geographical regions of Turkiye. All clinical data were collected, if available from information routinely recorded in the patients’ electronic records. The health utilization data were used in conjunction with payer perspectives to calculate direct cost to Social Security Institution.

RESULTS: As of 16 December 2022, data from 663 patients who met the inclusion criteria were obtained from 4,295 patients. 80% of patients were male, 40% were still alive at the time of data collection, mean age was 64.33, mean number of emergency department admissions was 2.80, mean number of hospitalizations was 10.97, mean number of doctor visits was 12.76, and mean follow-up was 460 days. The average treatment cost per patient was found to be TRY87,535. The cost of treatment per patient includes chemotherapy costs (TRY52,777), costs for non-oncological therapeutic agents (TRY20,290), laboratory test expenses(TRY7,004), radiological procedure expenses (TRY6,510), and consultation fees(TRY954). It offers the highest cost of treatment per patient in women, in patients aged 50-54, in patients with an ECOG score of 2, EGRF(+), PD-L1(+), ALK(+), ROS(-) and KRAS(-).

CONCLUSIONS: This study highlights the cost of treatment of patients with metastatic or locally advanced NSCLC in Turkiye with real-world data and touches upon an important factor for decision makers. It is necessary to consider both clinical and economic factors that contribute to the overall cost when making treatment decisions.