Ramírez-Ortiz MA, Ruiz-Freyre G, Rodríguez Almaraz M

Language: Spanish
References: 12
Page: 206-210
PDF size: 258.44 Kb.

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Retinoblastoma (Rb) is one of the most common pediatric cancers in Mexico. Unfortunately, there are no screening programs available in Mexico for detecting Rb in its early stages. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the cost of Rb treatment during the first year of survival, looking specifically at the economic impact of late stage disease.
Patients and methods: All patients with Rb treated at Hospital Infantil de Mexico between January 1997 and June 2001 were included. Costs were calculated evaluating the following items: in-patient hospitalization, number of surgical procedures, operating room charges, physician charges, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, laboratory tests, radiology, visits to emergency room and intensive care unit cost. Patients were grouped according to the Saint Jude staging system into intraocular and extraocular disease.
Results: Thirty-one patients fulfilled the inclusion criteria (27 unilateral / 4 bilateral). 18 patients (58%) had intraocular disease. The mean age at detection for both groups was 2.5 years. The mean cost for treating intraocular disease was 20200 USD whereas patients who presented with extraocular disease had a mean treatment cost of 34100 USD (p ‹ 0.05).
Conclusions: The cost of Rb treatment during the first year of survival is high. If extraocular disease is present at diagnosis the costs almost double compared with the intraocular disease. The early diagnosis of retinoblastoma is important not only for preserving life and sight in children but also for reducing the economic burden to the Mexican Health System.

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