Introduction:Lung cancer imposes a substantial economic burden on patients, healthcare systems, and societies due to its high prevalence and costs associated with diagnosis, treatment, and palliative care. Comorbidities in lung cancer patients can further complicate clinical management and increase healthcare utilization. This study investigated the impact of comorbidity patterns on healthcare costs in patients with lung cancer.Methods:A cohort of 1540 lung cancer patients in the Veneto region of Italy was divided into five groups based on comorbidity burden using latent class analysis: no comorbidities, only one comorbidity, and specific comorbidity classes (Class 1: cardiovascular, respiratory, and endocrine diseases; Class 2: multiorgan diseases; Class 3: socio-multifactorial neuro conditions). Using administrative data, both overall healthcare costs and lung cancer-specific costs were analyzed over three years.Results:Patients with one comorbidity class had the highest overall costs over three years from diagnosis (USD 52,039) and the highest lung-specific costs (USD 47,804). In contrast, patients in the Cardiovascular-Respiratory and Endocrine class incurred the lowest overall costs (USD 38,447). Additionally, they had the lowest lung case-specific costs (USD 33,425) over the same three-year period from diagnosis. Higher costs for inpatient medications were observed in patients without any comorbidities or with at most one.Conclusions:The findings emphasize the significant effect of comorbidity patterns on resource use in lung cancer patients. Considering comorbidity profiles is essential for economic assessments and healthcare planning, as it allows for better resource allocation and supports personalized treatment strategies.
引言：肺癌因其高发病率及诊断、治疗和姑息治疗相关的高昂费用，给患者、医疗系统和社会带来了沉重的经济负担。肺癌患者的合并症可能进一步使临床管理复杂化并增加医疗资源的使用。本研究探讨了合并症模式对肺癌患者医疗费用的影响。 方法：通过潜在类别分析，将意大利威尼托地区1540名肺癌患者根据合并症负担分为五组：无合并症、仅有一种合并症，以及特定合并症类别（类别1：心血管、呼吸和内分泌疾病；类别2：多器官疾病；类别3：社会多因素神经疾病）。利用行政数据，分析了诊断后三年内的总体医疗费用和肺癌特异性费用。 结果：在诊断后的三年内，具有一种合并症类别的患者总体费用最高（52,039美元），肺癌特异性费用也最高（47,804美元）。相比之下，心血管-呼吸和内分泌疾病类别的患者总体费用最低（38,447美元）。此外，在诊断后的同一三年期间，他们的肺癌病例特异性费用也最低（33,425美元）。在无任何合并症或最多有一种合并症的患者中，观察到住院药物费用较高。 结论：研究结果强调了合并症模式对肺癌患者资源使用的显著影响。考虑合并症特征对于经济评估和医疗规划至关重要，因为这有助于更好地分配资源并支持个性化治疗策略。
Healthcare Costs by Comorbidity Patterns in Lung Cancer Patients
肿瘤(癌症)患者之家