Cost of breast cancer care in low- and middle-income countries: a scoping review protocol

Abstract

Objective: This review will describe the scope of the literature on the cost of breast cancer care in low- and middle-income countries and summate the methodological characteristics and approaches of these economic evaluations.

Introduction: In the past decade, there has been global momentum to improve capacity for breast cancer care in low- and middle-income countries, which have higher rates of breast cancer mortality compared to high-income countries. Understanding the cost of delivering breast cancer care in low- and middle-income countries is critical to guide effective cancer care delivery strategies and policy.

Inclusion criteria: Studies that estimate the cost of breast cancer diagnosis and treatment in low- and middle-income countries will be included. Studies not available in English will be excluded.

Methods: The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses for Scoping Review guidelines will be utilized. The search strategy has been developed in consultation with a medical librarian and will be carried out on five electronic databases from their inception (MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science, Global Health, WHO Global Index Medicus) as well as in gray literature sources. Two independent reviewers will review all abstracts and titles in the primary screen and full-text articles in the secondary screen. A third reviewer will adjudicate conflicts. One reviewer will perform data extraction. Study demographics, design, and methodological characteristics (such as costing perspective, time horizon, and included cost categories) will be summarized in narrative and tabular formats. The methodological quality of studies will be evaluated using a validated economic evaluation tool.