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Change in healthcare resource use and associated costs of patients with metastatic lung cancer between 2013 and 2021: an observational study from the French national health data system

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: INTRODUCTION: Treatment landscape in metastatic lung cancer has progressed quickly over the last decade, mainly due to immunotherapies and targeted therapies. This study aimed to describe changes in costs associated with metastatic lung cancer in France. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cohort of patients identified between 2013 and 2021 with lung cancer and a marker of metastases (ICD-10 code or reimbursement for Bevacizumab or Pemetrexed) was built from the French claims database. Healthcare resource use was described each year. The trend in total mean monthly costs (MMC) expressed in gross price over the study period was studied using Joinpoint software. RESULTS: Between 2013 and 2021, 147,760 metastatic lung cancer patients were identified (men :66.5%, median age: 66 years). The annual cost for all patients increased from 611,074,408€ in 2013 (N = 24,595) to 1,308,745,922€ in 2021 (N = 40,321). The MMC per patient decreased from 2013 to 2015 (from 5,853€ to 4,895€), by 9.37% per year (95%CI: -17.30; -0.69), then stabilized (0.90%; 95%CI: -0.84; 2.66). An increase in drug acquisition MMC in the same proportions as the decrease in full hospitalization MMC was observed, excluding 2020. CONCLUSION: Although the global cost of metastatic lung cancer management has increased, the MMC per patient has not notably surged between 2013 and 2021. Drug acquisition MMC increase was offset by reduced full hospitalization MMC (excluding 2020), resulting in no significant uptrend. These results suggest that the global management cost increase is mainly driven by epidemiological and demographic factors. This highlights the importance of continued investment in prevention and in therapeutic innovations that may improve outcomes.

Source: The European Journal of Health Economics

DOI: 10.1007/s10198-025-01864-6