Cost-of-illness of metastatic gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumours in Sweden-A population-based register-linkage study.

The objective was to estimate the cost-of-illness of grades 1 and 2 metastatic gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumours (GEP-NETs) in Sweden in 2013 in a population-based study including all patients diagnosed between 2005 and 2013. Data were obtained from national registers, and patients who utilised healthcare resources due to metastatic GEP-NETs in 2013 were included. The study included 478 patients (mean age 64 [SD=11] years, 51% men). The majority (80%) had small intestinal NET, 10% had pancreatic NET, and 41% had carcinoid syndrome. The total cost-of-illness was euro12,189,000 in 2013, of which direct costs constituted 77% and costs from production loss constituted 22%. The largest contributor to the direct medical costs was prescription drugs (54%; primarily somatostatin analogues [91% of the total drug cost]). Production loss due to sickness absence constituted 52% of the total costs of production loss. The total annual cost per patient was euro25,500. By patient group, the cost was euro24,800 (95% CI euro21,600-euro28,100) for patients with small intestinal NET, euro37,300 (95% CI euro23,300-euro51,300) for those with pancreatic NET and euro18,600 (95% CI euro12,600-euro24,500) for patients with other GEP-NETs. To conclude, the total annual cost of grades 1 and 2 metastatic GEP-NETs in Sweden was euro25,500 per patient and year.