Cost evaluation of chemotherapy and epidemiology of five most common cancers in Isfahan Province in Iran

Background: Cancer is the third leading cause of death in Iran. Cancer treatment is very costly and chemotherapy drugs are one of the main causes of the high cost of cancer treatment. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the cost of chemotherapy drugs of five most common cancers and identifying the factors might affect the costs of chemotherapy drugs in a one of the large provinces of Iran, located in the center of the country. Methods: In a cross-sectional study, the data of all patients with five common cancer diagnosed from March 2015 to March 2016 in Isfahan Province in Iran were collected from the Cancer Registry Center of Isfahan, as well as the pharmacies which distribute chemotherapy drugs. The required information (including, patient characteristics, type of cancer, and the costs of chemotherapy) of patients was obtained by linking the information of patients registered in the distributor pharmacies with the patients registered at the Isfahan Cancer Registry Center through the national code of the patients. Results: Breast, skin, colorectal, stomach and thyroid cancers were the most common cancers within the evaluated period of time in Isfahan Province. Colorectal cancer with an annual average total cost of 110,510,720 IRR (Rials) per patient was the most expensive cancer during the evaluated time period while thyroid cancer with an annual average total cost of 40,791,123 IRR per patient was the least costly cancer within the evaluated time period in Isfahan among the five most common cancers, considering the chemotherapy medicines cost. The highest cost in the colorectal cancer was due to the drug cetuximab distributed under the trade name Erbitux®. Regardless of the cancer type, the mean annual total cost of chemotherapy drugs per patient within the considered period of time calculated to be 96,307,145 IRR. Conclusion: The chemotherapy cost of the common cancers was high with an annual average of more than 96 million IRR (Rials) per patient, within the considered time period. This was particularly true for colorectal cancer with an annual average cost of more than 110 million Rials.