Costs of high-dose chemotherapy and peripheral blood progenitor cell autograft for breast cancer.

The aim of the study was to analyze the real cost of single or tandem high-dose chemotherapy (HDC) and peripheral blood progenitor cell autologous transplant (PBPCT) in patients with breast cancer. We analyzed the costs of 40 PBPCT performed in 20 patients. Tandem transplant was planned for each patient. Resources used and direct costs were identified for each patient. The study was carried out using the hospital perspective and monetary values were reported in 1999 Euro. The mean cost of whole procedure for single transplant was 20,816.63 Euro, while the mean cost of tandem transplant was 38,770.83 Euro. The cost distribution in the two groups was similar: the most expensive phase of procedure was the supportive phase post transplant (about 60% of total cost), with the categories of cost most represented being professional fees (about 28%) and pharmacy (about 35%). Awaiting more convincing trials of the clinical advantage of HDC in breast cancer, our analytical evaluation of transplant costs for different therapeutic options, single or tandem, permits identification of the most expensive categories in order to intervene for cost savings.