out-of-pocket costs analysis of ifosfamide, epirubicin, and etoposide (iev) and etoposide, solu-medrol-methylprednisolone, high-dose ara-ccytarabine, and platinol-cisplatin (eshap) regimens in the patients with relapsed and refractory lymphoma in iran

Background: this is an out-of-pocket costs analysis of ifosfamide, epirubicin, and etoposide (iev) and etoposide, solu-medrol-methylprednisolone, high-dose ara-c-cytarabine, and platinol-cisplatin (eshap) drug regimens in treatment of lymphoma in iran. methods: this cross-sectional study was conducted in shiraz city. data were collected using a data-collection form. the social perspective was used to collect cost data. three types of costs were measured, medical direct costs, non-medical direct costs, and indirect costs. results: 65 patients were treated with these two methods; 27 patients were treated with iev and 38 with eshap. moreover, the mean direct cost in iev and eshap regimens in 2014 were 1191.10 ± 610.74 and 1819.57 ± 789.73 united states dollars (usd), respectively. the difference was statistically significant (p < 0.001). conclusion: in this study, costs in the iev regimen were significantly lower than the eshap regimen. this was particularly caused by an earlier discharge of patients under iev regimen; since these patients experienced a trend toward less neutropenia and, hence, had a trend toward fewer hospitalization days, the related cost was 3451.76 usd with savings of 6479.61 usd compared with the eshap regimen. overall, most of patient’s income was spent on out-of-pocket costs for all expenditures incurred because of lymphoma.