Economic Burden of Cervical Cancer in Bulgaria

Hristina Lebanova (), Svetoslav Stoev, Emilia Naseva, Violeta Getova, Wei Wang, Ugne Sabale and Elina Petrova
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Hristina Lebanova: Faculty of Pharmacy, Medical University-Pleven, 5800 Pleven, Bulgaria
Svetoslav Stoev: Faculty of Pharmacy, Medical University-Pleven, 5800 Pleven, Bulgaria
Violeta Getova: Faculty of Pharmacy, Medical University of Sofia, 1000 Sofia, Bulgaria
Wei Wang: Center for Observational and Real-World Evidence, Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ 07065, USA
Ugne Sabale: Center for Observational and Real-World Evidence, Merck Sharp & Dohme, 11330 Stockholm, Sweden
Elina Petrova: Market Access, MSD, 1407 Sofia, Bulgaria

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 3, 1-12

Abstract: Bulgaria is among the European Union (EU) countries with the highest burden of cervical cancers and life expectancy below the EU average. The majority of cervical cancer cases (more than 95%) are caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV). The aim of this retrospective, cost of illness study is to identify direct healthcare costs of cervical cancer in Bulgaria from the payer perspective and to calculate indirect costs and the associated years of life lost. Costs data were sourced from the National Health Insurance Fund from January 2018 to December 2020. Years of life lost were calculated based on the country and gender-specific life expectancy. Indirect costs due to productivity loss were calculated using the human capital approach. The total treatment costs for 3540 patients with cervical cancer are EUR 5,743,657 (2018), EUR 6,377,508 (2019), and EUR 6,751,182 (2020). The costs associated with drug acquisition and administration accounted for the majority (63%) of total healthcare costs followed by hospital management costs (14%). An estimated total of 20,446 years of life were lost due to cervical cancer for the period 2018–2020. The costs of productivity losses are estimated at EUR 7,578,014. Our study showed that the economic burden of cervical cancer in Bulgaria is substantial. Focus on cervical cancer prevention via vaccination against the human papillomavirus, timely screening, early diagnosis, and higher vaccine coverage rates could reduce its economic burden in Bulgaria.

Keywords: cervical cancer; cost of illness; economic burden (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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