Incorporating Future Medical Costs: Impact on Cost-Efectiveness Analysis in Cancer Patients

Abstract

Background The inclusion of future medical costs in cost-efectiveness analyses remains a controversial issue. The impact of capturing future medical costs is likely to be particularly important in patients with cancer where costly lifelong medical care is necessary. The lack of clear, defnitive pharmacoeconomic guidelines can limit comparability and has implications for decision making. Objective The aim of this study was to demonstrate the impact of incorporating future medical costs through an applied example using original data from a clinical study evaluating the cost efectiveness of a sepsis intervention in cancer patients. Methods A decision analytic model was used to capture quality-a..