Volume 54, Issue 10, October 2024
Special Issue: Survey of high-cost treatments for advanced cancers in Japan
Editorial
Confronting the problems we had hoped to avoid
Original article
Urology
Real-world treatment trends for patients with advanced prostate cancer and renal cell carcinoma and their cost—a survey in Japan
This study is the first report of a survey of first-line drug therapy in untreated Stage IV prostate cancer and renal cell carcinoma stratified by age and treatment costs in Japan.
Hepato-biliary and Pancreatic Medicine
Current status of the cost burden of first-line systemic treatment for patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma in Japan, 2021–22
Recent advances in systemic therapies for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) have led to prolonged patient survival. However, the treatment costs are also increasing, imposing a burden on both the patients and society.
Gynecology
High cost of chemotherapy for gynecologic malignancies
Novel drugs have improved cancer prognosis; however, their costs have also increased sharply. The same trend was observed in gynecological malignancies in this survey.
Thoracic Medicine
High-cost treatments for advanced lung cancer in Japan (Lung Cancer Study Group of the Japan Clinical Oncology Group)
This study of first-line chemotherapy for advanced lung cancer conducted at sixty Japanese centers revealed the actual use of high-cost treatments.
Breast Medicine
Status of incremental costs of first-line treatment recommended in Japanese clinical guidelines for metastatic breast cancer patients
This study is the first report on the current status of high-cost medical care recommended by practice guidelines regarding first-line treatment of patients with MBC in Japan.
Gastrointestinal Medicine
A real-world survey on expensive drugs used as first-line chemotherapy in patients with HER2-negative unresectable advanced/recurrent gastric cancer in the stomach cancer study group of the Japan clinical oncology group
A real-world survey of first-line chemotherapeutic regimens for HER2-negative advanced/recurrent gastric cancer revealed that two-thirds of patients in Japan received expensive (>500 000 Japanese yen/month) regimens.
Real-world treatment costs of first-line treatment for metastatic colorectal cancer: a survey of the JCOG colorectal cancer study group
This study evaluated first-line mCRC treatments, highlighting the predominant use of molecular targeted therapies and significant cost implications.
Head & Neck
Frequency of use and cost in Japan of first-line palliative chemotherapies for recurrent or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck
Our survey about the first-line palliative chemotherapy for recurrent or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck in Japan showed that the cost exceeds 600 000 JPY per month.
Central Nervous System (CNS)
Cost of medical care for malignant brain tumors at hospitals in the Japan Clinical Oncology Group brain-tumor study group
As regimens used in GBM or PCNSL are costly, we believe that it will be necessary in the future to take cost-effectiveness into consideration in selecting a treatment.
