Cost of illness of metastatic prostate cancer: a perspective of costs for new treatment options in The Netherlands

AIM: To assess the resource use and associated costs of treating patients with metastatic prostate cancer with a focus on skeletal-related events (SREs). METHODS: We performed a bottom-up cost of illness study in The Netherlands. RESULTS: A total of 136 patients were studied. The mean total costs were euro17,931 per patient. SREs that required hospitalization (n = 53) were, at median costs of euro2039-9346, depending on care. These SREs had median costs of euro200-1912. CONCLUSION: Our data provide a basis to investigate the cost-effectiveness of novel treatment options for metastatic prostate cancer. The impact of SREs on total costs could justify policy aimed at actively preventing SREs, possibly resulting in better quality of life and cost-reduction.