Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2012 Nov;43(5):537-45.
doi: 10.1016/j.amepre.2012.07.031.

Melanoma treatment costs: a systematic review of the literature, 1990-2011

Gery P Guy Jr  1 , Donatus U Ekwueme, Florence K Tangka, Lisa C Richardson
Affiliations

Melanoma treatment costs: a systematic review of the literature, 1990-2011

Gery P Guy Jr et al. Am J Prev Med. 2012 Nov.

Abstract

Context: Melanoma is the most deadly form of skin cancer and an important public health concern. Given the substantial health burden associated with melanoma, it is important to examine the economic costs associated with its treatment. The purpose of the current study was to systematically review the literature on the direct medical care costs of melanoma.

Evidence acquisition: A systematic review was performed using multiple databases including MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, and Econlit. Nineteen articles on the direct medical costs of melanoma were identified.

Evidence synthesis: Detailed information on the study population, study country/setting, study perspective, costing approach, disease severity (stage), and key study results were abstracted. The overall costs of melanoma were examined as well as per-patient costs, costs by phase of care, stage of diagnosis, and setting/type of care. Among studies examining all stages of melanoma, annual treatment costs ranged from $44.9 million among Medicare patients with existing cases to $932.5 million among newly diagnosed cases across all age groups.

Conclusions: Melanoma leads to substantial direct medical care costs, with estimates varying widely because of the heterogeneity across studies in terms of the study setting, populations studied, costing approach, and study methods. Melanoma treatment costs varied by phase of care and stage at diagnoses; costs were highest among patients diagnosed with late-stage disease and in the initial and terminal phases of care. Aggregate treatment costs were generally highest in the outpatient/office-based setting; per-patient/per-case treatment costs were highest in the hospital inpatient setting. Given the substantial costs of treating melanoma, public health strategies should include efforts to enhance both primary prevention (reduction of ultraviolet light exposure) and secondary prevention (earlier detection) of melanoma.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flowchart illustrating the study selection process
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Rogers HW, Weinstock MA, Harris AR, et al. Incidence estimate of nonmelanoma skin cancer in the U.S., 2006. Arch Dermatol. 2010;146(3):283–287. - PubMed
    1. Miller DL, Weinstock MA. Nonmelanoma skin cancer in the U.S.: incidence. J Am Acad Dermatol. 1994;30(5):774–778. - PubMed
    1. DHHS, CDC, National Cancer Institute. U.S. cancer statistics: 1999–2008 incidence, WONDER online database. 2011 wonder.cdc.gov/cancer-v2008.html.
    1. CDC, National Center for Health Statistics. Underlying cause of death, 1999–2008, on CDC WONDER online database, released 2011. (Data compilation source is Multiple Cause of Death File for correponding year: for 2008, Ser. 20 No. 2N, 2011; for 2007, Ser. 20, No. 2M, 2010; for 2005–2006, Ser. 20, No. 2L, 2009; for 1999–2004, Ser. 20, No. 2J, 2007.) wonder.cdc.gov/ucd-icd10.html.
    1. Diepgen T, Mahler V. The epidemiology of skin cancer. Br J Dermatol. 2002;146:1–6. - PubMed

Publication types