Abstract
Purpose: Cost-effectiveness data for cancer treatment are needed from sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), where diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is a common, curable cancer. In high-income countries, the standard of care for DLBCL is R-CHOP (rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone) chemoimmunotherapy. Rituximab is often not available in SSA due to cost, and treatment with CHOP is common.
Methods: We evaluated the cost-effectiveness of DLBCL treatment using Malawi-specific data. Clinical data were from a prospective observational cohort treated with CHOP, as well as a clinical trial of R-CHOP. We used a decision-tree model to calculate costs per disability adjusted life year (DALY) averted from the health system perspective and estimated a willingness to pay (WTP) threshold of three times GDP per capita.
Results: On a per-patient level, compared to no chemotherapy, CHOP is estimated to avert 7·9 DALYS, at an incremental cost of $1,500, for an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of $194 per DALY averted, which is well below WTP. In probabilistic sensitivity analysis, CHOP was cost-effective for DLBCL in >99% of simulations. Compared to CHOP, R-CHOP is estimated to avert 2·9 DALYs, at an incremental cost of $3,198 and ICER of $1,104 per DALY averted, which is at the WTP threshold and was below WTP in 45% of simulations.
Conclusion: CHOP is cost-effective for DLBCL in Malawi, and the addition of rituximab may be cost-effective. Future studies in SSA and other LMIC settings should include rigorous economic evaluation to promote continued cancer treatment investments and prioritization.
Citation Format: Matthew Painschab, Racquel Kohler, Stephen Kimani, Stephanie Wheeler, Satish Gopal. Cost-effectiveness Analysis of CHOP and R-CHOP Treatment of Diffuse Large B-cell Lymphoma in Malawi [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 9th Annual Symposium on Global Cancer Research; Global Cancer Research and Control: Looking Back and Charting a Path Forward; 2021 Mar 10-11. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2021;30(7 Suppl):Abstract nr 75.