Febrile Neutropenia in Lymphoma Patients Is Associated with Substantial Resource Use and Healthcare Costs in Clinical Practice in Spain.

Background

Despite the significant impact of chemotherapy-induced febrile neutropenia (FN) on patients (pts) with cancer and its consequences for health care costs, there have been no studies in common clinical practice in Spain assessing the burden and economic impact of this complication.

Methods

This is a sub-analysis of lymphoma pts included in a multicentre, retrospective, chart review of adult pts from 16 Spanish hospitals who suffered from at least one FN episode related to cytotoxic chemotherapy (CT). Resource use and subsequent costs including days of hospitalization, number of transfusions, number and type of complementary tests, use of colony-stimulating factors (CSFs), and use of antibiotics and other drugs to manage FN were assessed for each episode. The impact of FN on planned CT was also analysed in terms of dose delays (DD) and/or reductions (DR).

Results

Medical charts from 194 pts were reviewed, 67 (34.5%) of whom had lymphoma, which accounted for 87 documented FN episodes included in this analysis. The median (range) age of patients was 62 (19–85) years, 31.7% had aggressive NHL, and 58.2% were treated with CHOP-like CT. FN appeared during first CT cycle in 61.2% of the pts. Hospitalization was required in 100% of the pts and the median length of hospital stay due to FN was 8 days (p₂₅:6–p₇₅:11). During an FN episode, 42% of pts required ≥1 transfusion, 100% needed a blood test and 98.9% a blood culture. Microbiologically documented infection appeared in 33% of FN episodes. All pts were treated with antibiotics (69.3% with cephalosporins) and CSFs were used in 64.8% of pts. In 40.9% of episodes, FN impacted on planned CT dose and/or schedule: DR was observed in 16.7% of pts, DD in 24.0% and CT withdrawal in 15.2%.

Conclusions

FN has a substantial impact on resource use and associated costs in pts with lymphoma. Hospitalization and antibiotic treatment were the main drivers of the cost associated with the management of FN in current clinical practice. Furthermore, FN has a meaningful effect on planned CT dose and/or schedule, with potential consequences for treatment outcome.