Healthcare Resource Utilization and Treatment Costs for Blastic Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cell Neoplasm: A PETHEMA Study.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Information on the economic impact and healthcare resource utilization (HCRU) associated with Blastic Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cell Neoplasm (BPDCN) is lacking.

METHODS

A retrospective review of medical records identified patients diagnosed with BPDCN between 2009 and 2023. Data on outpatient resource use, reimbursement, frequency and duration of hospitalizations, and transfusion burden were collected from diagnosis to death or last follow-up.

RESULTS

A total of 38 patients with a median age of 66 years were included. Conventional intensive chemotherapy (CHT) regimens were initially administered to 58% of patients, while targeted therapies were used in 37% of cases. The ratio of total days hospitalized to the overall follow-up period was 17%, with a total of 182 hospitalizations (average of 5 per patient; mean duration 20 days). The mean total reimbursement was EUR 109,104 per patient, primarily attributed to hospital admissions (EUR 89,158; EUR 18,118 per hospitalization). Hospitalizations before or without any allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (alloHSCT) accounted for 70% of total admissions, with an average overall cost of EUR 50,285 per patient (EUR 12,427 per hospitalization). AlloHSCT-period hospitalizations occurred in 18 patients, with a mean total reimbursement of EUR 122,497 per patient and EUR 30,464 per hospitalization.

CONCLUSIONS

The active treatment of BPDCN imposes a high economic burden and extensive HCRU. Comparative pharmacoeconomic studies evaluating the cost-effectiveness of new therapies for BPDCN are needed to identify patient subgroups that may benefit most from these treatments.