Research of economic accessibility and costs optimization of chemotherapy treatment schemes of patients with breast cancer in Ukraine

Abstract

Breast cancer is ranked first in the cancer-related morbidity and mortality rate of malignant neoplasms of the female population around the world. In recent years, approaches to cancer treatment have changed, chemotherapy has become one of the essential component of a comprehensive treatment that is long-lasting and high-value. Considering the high cost of chemotherapeutic treatment schemes and low solvency of the population of the country, it is advisable to conduct a study on the economic availability of chemotherapy schemes for breast cancer patients’ treatment and optimizing their costs by minimizing costs in order to offer the most cost-effective therapies. During the analysis, it was found that the replacement of high-cost medicines in the CMF chemotherapeutic schemes with medicines with the lowest cost of the course dose, which were selected on the basis of the cost-minimization analysis, provides cost savings of $ 48.21 per patient, which allows additional treatment for more patients. The results of the assessment of the socioeconomic availability of chemotherapeutic treatment schemes showed that almost all schemes are poorly available to the Ukrainian patient. Only two schemes: CMF and AC, which have an adequate solvency ratio of 12.12% and 14.8%, are moderately available.