Healthcare utilisation in patients with breast cancer or non-Hodgkin lymphoma who experienced febrile neutropenia in the Netherlands: a retrospective matched control study using the PHARMO database
Menée aux Pays-Bas à partir des données de la base PHARMO et portant sur des patients atteints d'un cancer du sein ou d'un lymphome non-hodgkinien, cette étude cas-témoins rétrospective analyse l'utilisation des services et des soins de santé chez des patients atteints d'une neutropénie fébrile induite par la chimiothérapie
Few data have been published on healthcare resource utilisation associated with chemotherapy-induced febrile neutropenia (FN) in Europe. Using the PHARMO record linkage system, we identified incident adult patients with a primary hospital discharge diagnosis of breast cancer (BC) or non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) from 1998 to 2008. Patients who experienced FN were matched 1:2 non-FN reference patients. Of 1033 BC patients, 80 (8%) had FN and were matched with 160 reference patients; and of 486 NHL patients, 95 (20%) had FN and 89 were matched with 178 reference patients. Significantly more FN patients were hospitalised for any cause than reference patients: BC, 81% vs. 24% (OR 12.6; 95% CI 5.7–27.8); NHL, 82% vs. 44% (OR 6.7; 95% CI 3.3–13.9). Median length of all-cause hospitalisation stay was higher for FN patients: BC, 4.0 vs. 1.0 days; NHL, 8.5 vs. 1.8 days. The median (interquartile range) number of medication treatments was higher for FN patients: BC, 5.5 (4.0–7.5) vs. 2.0 (2.0–4.0); NHL, 8.0 (5.0–11.0) vs. 3.0 (2.0–4.0). In conclusion, FN in patients with BC or NHL had increased healthcare utilisation compared with non-FN patients; thus, efforts to reduce FN are warranted to reduce cost and improve outcomes.