An estimate of the average cost of treatment (COT) was assessed for 53 patients with pancreatic cancer treated between 1997 and 1999 in four hospitals in southern Sweden. Average COT was estimated to Euro18 947, 55% of which was attributable to hospitalization (including surgical procedures), 20% to long-term care and 11% to chemotherapy. Diagnostics and radiotherapy accounted for 9% and 4%, respectively. Median survival was 5.6 months (mean 6.3 months). Treatment costs per patient were negatively correlated with age but were higher for patients receiving chemo/radiotherapy and surgical treatment than for patients receiving only standard supportive care. Disease stage and type of hospital (university versus regional/local hospitals) were not significant predictors of COT per se. Assuming that our estimate of the average cost is representative for Sweden, the total healthcare cost for pancreatic cancer was Euro16 million (dollar14 million), i.e about 2-3% of the COT for all cancer diseases in Sweden. In the USA the cost of pancreatic cancer accounted for the same proportion. However, our estimated cost per patient was about half the amount of the US estimate. The distribution of costs between the different types of treatment services did not differ greatly between Sweden and the USA.