Purpose: Management of adolescents and young adults (AYAs) differs between adult and pediatric units, especially regarding febrile neutropenia (FN). In our previous study, we found that AYAs treated in adult units were significantly less hospitalized for FN than in pediatric units, without difference in morbimortality. The objective of this work was to assess the economic impact of these practices.
Methods: This study retrospectively collected data from the medical records of AYAs treated at the Comprehensive Cancer Center Léon Bérard, Lyon, France, in the Euro-E-W-I-N-G99 protocol between September 1, 2000 and May 31, 2013. We focused on FN occurring after VIDE (vincristine, ifosfamide, doxorubicin, etoposide) courses. Costs were calculated using a micro-costing technique from the hospital's perspective (in 2014-Euro); the time horizon was the induction period. Multivariate analyses were performed on the total cost and cost of FN. Uncertainty was captured by sensitivity analyses.
Results: Forty-four AYAs (18 in the adult sector, 26 in the pediatric sector) received 260 courses of VIDE. Mean cost of care was €37,544 in the pediatric sector, including €11,948 (32%) for FN (€11,851 in hospitalization), versus €34,677 in the adult sector, including €6,143 (18%) for FN (€5,789 in hospitalization). Cost for FN was significantly higher in pediatric units (difference in mean cost of €5,830 per patient, 95% bootstrapped confidence interval [1,939.1; 10,028.9]). In multivariate analysis, the only factor significantly influencing this cost difference was the sector of care. The most sensitive parameter was the unit cost of conventional hospitalization.
Conclusion: These results support the adult sector strategy, in agreement with the results of our first work showing comparable effectiveness.
Keywords: cost-minimization analysis; economic study; febrile neutropenia; homecare; outpatient management.