OBJECTIVES : Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is an aggressive and common type of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma(NHL). It is of public health importance in Zimbabwe due to the high burden of HIV. The treatment of CD20-positive DLBCL include cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone (CHOP) with or without rituximab (R-CHOP). Adding rituximab results in additional drug and diagnostic costs. Estimating treatment costs is important for budgeting. The aim of this study was to estimate the costs of managing NHL.

METHODS : The medical records of NHL patients at Parirenyatwa Hospital in 2015 were reviewed to determine personnel, drugs, laboratory procedures and other hospital services that were utilized. Micro costing method was used to aggregate the resources, determine unit costs and estimating the total cost of managing NHL. The costing was done from a healthcare provide perspective. The 2015 cost figures were adjusted for inflation to 2019 and reported in United States Dollars.

RESULTS : A total of 89 patient records were reviewed with patients having a mean age of 41[4-76] and 64% were male. The majority 87% of the patients treated with CHOP and 17% on R-CHOP. The average cost for managing NHL with CHOP was $1235 per patient per cycle with diagnostic procedures contributing 52% to the figure. R-CHOP costed $2950 per patient per cycle with medications contributing 60%.

CONCLUSIONS : The management of NHL is associated with substantial healthcare costs. Adding rituximab to CHOP results in significant increase in drug-related costs.