Cost and Cost-Effectiveness of Childhood Cancer Treatment in El Salvador: A Collaborative Budget Model

Abstract 32Background:Cure rates for childhood cancer in El Salvador (ES) have increased from 5% in 1991 to 68% today as a result of national and international support. Approximately 200 new cases of pediatric cancer are diagnosed annually in ES—all are treated centrally at the National Children’s Hospital Benjamin Bloom. The cost of childhood cancer treatment in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), such as ES, has not been well investigated. Such data are integral to inform national childhood cancer treatment plans. We undertook this work to determine the cost of operating a national childhood cancer treatment center in ES and to provide an analytic model framework for similar cost analyses in other LMICs.Methods:We conducted a cross-sectional study to evaluate the cost of childhood cancer treatment covered by a collaborative budget model in ES. We calculated costs on the basis of annual cases diagnosed and admitted to National Children’s Hospital Benjamin Bloom, and captured supportive expenses for...