Medical Care Cost of Oropharyngeal Cancer among Texas Patients

Abstract

<div class="section"> <a class="named-anchor" id="S1"> <!-- named anchor --> </a> <h5 class="section-title" id="d7651497e161">Background</h5> <p id="P1">The incidence of oropharyngeal cancer (OPC) is rising rapidly, with the majority of cases being attributable to human papillomavirus (HPV). Despite the availability of a vaccine, rates of HPV vaccination among Texas youth are low. The healthcare cost of OPC in Texas is unknown. The aims of this study were to estimate the first two years cost of treating new cases of OPC and determine the predictors of OPC treatment cost in Texas. </p> </div><div class="section"> <a class="named-anchor" id="S2"> <!-- named anchor --> </a> <h5 class="section-title" id="d7651497e166">Methods</h5> <p id="P2">This study included a retrospective cohort of 467 Texas patients with commercial insurance claims data with OPC diagnosed from 2011 to 2014 and a control group of 467 non-cancer patients obtained with propensity score matching. Total health care cost during the first two years after the index date was measured. A generalized linear model was used to identify predictors of monthly cost during the two years after the index date. </p> </div><div class="section"> <a class="named-anchor" id="S3"> <!-- named anchor --> </a> <h5 class="section-title" id="d7651497e171">Results</h5> <p id="P3">The mean differential adjusted health care cost for OPC cases was $139,749 in the first two years. The mean adjusted monthly cost in the first two years was $6,693 for cases and $840 for controls. Age, comorbidity, mental health, pre-diagnostic health care cost, and time index were significant predictors of monthly cost. </p> </div><div class="section"> <a class="named-anchor" id="S4"> <!-- named anchor --> </a> <h5 class="section-title" id="d7651497e176">Conclusions</h5> <p id="P4">Medical care cost was about $140,000 in the first two years after diagnosis of OPC among commercially insured patients in Texas. </p> </div><div class="section"> <a class="named-anchor" id="S5"> <!-- named anchor --> </a> <h5 class="section-title" id="d7651497e181">Impact</h5> <p id="P5">The cost estimates provide important parameters for development of decision-analytic models to inform decision-makers about the potential value of initiatives for increasing the HPV immunization rate in the State. </p> </div>