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How Affordable are Targeted Therapies in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer?

  • Lung Cancer
  • Published:
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Opinion statement

As the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) evolves to include more targeted therapies, costs of treatment have increased significantly. Advances in NSCLC treatment include longer survival duration, and in some cases, better progression-free survival and quality of life, and the potential for decreased toxicity. Through pharmacoeconomic analyses, payors seek to value the improvements in outcomes from novel therapies, and relate these improvements to their costs. In NSCLC, three categories of novel agents have been introduced into clinical practice: (1) agents targeting the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR); (2) agents targeting the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and (3) novel chemotherapy agents, specifically pemetrexed. Here we review published economic analyses for these agents in lung cancer, and their potential impact on treatment decisions.

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Acknowledgments

PMH/UHN has previously received research funding from Astra Zeneca Canada in 2004 for an unrelated investigator-initiated clinical trial.

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None perceived.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Medical Oncology, Princess Margaret Hospital, Room 5-105, 610 University Avenue, Toronto, ON, M5G 2M9, Canada

    Linda E. Coate MB, MRCPI & Natasha B. Leighl MD, MMSc, FRCP (C)

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  1. Linda E. Coate MB, MRCPI
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  2. Natasha B. Leighl MD, MMSc, FRCP (C)
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Natasha B. Leighl MD, MMSc, FRCP (C).

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Coate, L.E., Leighl, N.B. How Affordable are Targeted Therapies in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer?. Curr. Treat. Options in Oncol. 12, 1–11 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11864-010-0137-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11864-010-0137-x

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