Economic burden of gastrointestinal cancer under the protection of the New Rural Cooperative Medical Scheme in a region of rural China with high incidence of oesophageal cancer: cross-sectional survey

Analysis of Factors Influencing Hospitalization Expenses of Patients with Gastric Cancer in Shanghai, 2014-2021: Based on Grey Relational Analysis and Structural Equation Modeling

OBJECTIVES

This study analyzed the basic condition and the influencing factors of hospitalization costs of patients with gastric cancer in Shanghai from 2014 to 2021, so as to provide a scientific reference for promoting the reform of the medical and healthcare system.

METHODS

The study data were obtained from the electronic medical record system of Shanghai Hospital. The grey relational analysis was applied to analyze the correlation strength of various expenses with hospitalization costs. The structural equation modeling was constructed to analyze the influences of factors on the hospitalization expenses, as well as the relationship between each factor.

RESULTS

A total of 23 335 study subjects were included. The results of grey relational analysis showed that the total cost of drugs had the strongest correlation with hospitalization expenses, followed by material expenses and surgery cost, whereas those of others were lower. The results of the structural equation modeling showed that age had the greatest influence on hospitalization expenses with a path coefficient of 0.618. Other influencing factors included surgery history, length of stay, hospital level, gender, and medical insurance.

CONCLUSIONS

The total cost of drugs had the strongest correlation with hospitalization expenses. Factors such as gender, age, and hospital level all affect the hospitalization expenses. In the future, it is necessary to take further measures to control the cost of drugs and constantly optimize the structure of hospitalization costs. Meanwhile, the reform of the medical and healthcare system should be deepened to reasonably regulate the medical behaviors and reduce the financial burden of patients.

The usage and costs of national drug price-negotiated anticancer medicines in a first-tier city in Northeast China: a study based on health insurance data

BACKGROUND

The National Drug Price Negotiation (NDPN) policy has entered a normalisation stage, aiming to alleviate, to some extent, the disease-related and economic burdens experienced by cancer patients. This study analysed the use and subsequent burden of anticancer medicines among cancer patients in a first-tier city in northeast China.

METHODS

We assessed the usage of 64 negotiated anticancer medicines using the data on the actual drug deployment situation, the frequency of medical insurance claims and actual medication costs. The affordability of these medicines was measured using the catastrophic health expenditure (CHE) incidence and intensity of occurrence. Finally, we used the defined daily doses (DDDs) and defined daily doses cost (DDDc) as indicators to evaluate the actual use of these medicines in the region.

RESULTS

During the study period, 63 of the 64 medicines were readily available. From the perspective of drug usage, the frequency of medical insurance claims for negotiated anticancer medicines and medication costs showed an increasing trend from 2018 to 2021. Cancer patients typically sought medical treatment at tertiary hospitals and purchased medicines at community pharmacies. The overall quantity and cost of medications for patients covered by the Urban Employee Basic Medical Insurance (UEBMI) were five times higher than those covered by the Urban and Rural Resident Medical Insurance (URRMI). The frequency of medical insurance claims and medication costs were highest for lung and breast cancer patients. Furthermore, from 2018 to 2021, CHE incidence showed a decreasing trend (2.85-1.60%) under urban patients' payment capability level, but an increasing trend (11.94%-18.42) under rural patients' payment capability level. The average occurrence intensities for urban (0.55-1.26 times) and rural (1.27-1.74 times) patients showed an increasing trend. From the perspective of drug utilisation, the overall DDD of negotiated anticancer medicines showed an increasing trend, while the DDDc exhibited a decreasing trend.

CONCLUSION

This study demonstrates that access to drugs for urban cancer patients has improved. However, patients' medical behaviours are affected by some factors such as hospital level and type of medical insurance. In the future, the Chinese Department of Health Insurance Management should further improve its work in promoting the fairness of medical resource distribution and strengthen its supervision of the nation's health insurance funds.

Effectiveness of Endoscopic Screening on Esophageal Cancer Incidence and Mortality: A 9-Year Report of the Endoscopic Screening for Esophageal Cancer in China (ESECC) Randomized Trial

PURPOSE

To evaluate the effectiveness of endoscopic screening against incidence of and mortality from esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC).

METHODS

From January 2012 to September 2016, we conducted a community-based cluster randomized controlled trial involving permanent residents age 45-69 years in a high-risk region for ESCC in northern China. A total of 668 targeted villages were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to the screening group (offered Lugol's chromoendoscopy) or control group (no screening). Intention-to-treat and per-protocol analyses were performed to compare esophageal cancer (EC) incidence and mortality between the two groups. The per-protocol analysis adjusted for nonadherence to the screening procedure.

RESULTS

A total of 33,847 participants were included in the analysis: 17,104 in the screening group, 15,165 (88.7%) of whom underwent screening, and 16,743 in the control group. During a maximum follow-up of 9 years, EC incidence in the screening and control groups were 60.9 and 72.5 per 100,000 person-years, respectively; mortality in the screening and control groups were 29.7 and 32.4 per 100,000 person-years, respectively. Compared with the control group, the incidence and mortality of the screening group reduced by 19% (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 0.81 [95% CI, 0.60 to 1.09]) and 18% (aHR, 0.82 [95% CI, 0.53 to 1.26]), respectively, in the intention-to-treat analysis; and by 22% (aHR, 0.78 [95% CI, 0.56 to 1.10]) and 21% (aHR, 0.79 [95% CI, 0.49 to 1.30]), respectively, in the per-protocol analysis.

CONCLUSION

With a 9-year follow-up, our trial suggests that chromoendoscopic screening induces modest reductions in EC incidence and mortality. A more efficient strategy for EC screening and subsequent patient management should be established to guarantee the effectiveness of endoscopic screening.

Subjective and objective financial toxicity among colorectal cancer patients: a systematic review

BACKGROUND

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer type worldwide. Colorectal cancer treatment costs vary between countries as it depends on policy factors such as treatment algorithms, availability of treatments and whether the treatment is government-funded. Hence, the objective of this systematic review is to determine the prevalence and measurements of financial toxicity (FT), including the cost of treatment, among colorectal cancer patients.

METHODS

Medline via PubMed platform, Science Direct, Scopus, and CINAHL databases were searched to find studies that examined CRC FT. There was no limit on the design or setting of the study.

RESULTS

Out of 819 papers identified through an online search, only 15 papers were included in this review. The majority (n = 12, 80%) were from high-income countries, and none from low-income countries. Few studies (n = 2) reported objective FT denoted by the prevalence of catastrophic health expenditure (CHE), 60% (9 out of 15) reported prevalence of subjective FT, which ranges from 7 to 80%, 40% (6 out of 15) included studies reported cost of CRC management- annual direct medical cost ranges from USD 2045 to 10,772 and indirect medical cost ranges from USD 551 to 795.

CONCLUSIONS

There is a lack of consensus in defining and quantifying financial toxicity hindered the comparability of the results to yield the mean cost of managing CRC. Over and beyond that, information from some low-income countries is missing, limiting global representativeness.

How should extra-large Lugol-unstained lesions of the esophagus be treated? Results from a population-based cohort study

BACKGROUND

Current guidelines recommend only severe dysplasia and above (SDA) lesions of the esophageal squamous epithelium for clinical intervention. However, the histopathologic diagnosis derived from tissue biopsies may be subject to underestimation of severity.

METHODS

1073 participants from whom biopsies were taken at baseline chromoendoscopic examination in a population-based screening trial were enrolled in this study. The size of the Lugol-unstained lesions (LULs) was mainly analyzed. The outcome was defined as SDA lesions either identified at baseline screening, or during follow-up, collectively referred to as the cumulative risk of SDA. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to evaluate the cumulative risk of SDA.

RESULTS

One hundred and forty-six SDA cases were identified in the study period. Participants with large LULs had a high cumulative incidence of SDA (cumulative incidence16-20mm : 55.88%; cumulative incidence>20mm : 76.92%) in the median of 7-year duration. LULs of large size were significantly associated with a higher cumulative risk of SDA, regardless of the pathologic diagnosis (adjusted OR16-20mmvs.≤5mm  = 21.02, 95% CI: 7.56-58.47; adjusted OR>20mmvs.≤5mm  = 33.62, 95% CI: 11.79-95.87).

CONCLUSIONS

Results from this study suggest physician-patient shared decision-making regarding clinical treatment or intensive surveillance should be carried out for LULs >20 mm in the esophagus, regardless of the histologic diagnosis. For those with LULs of 16-20 mm, intensive surveillance would also best be considered.

Development and validation of nomograms for predicting overall survival and cancer-specific survival in elderly patients with locally advanced gastric cancer: a population-based study

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the multiple factors influencing the survival of elderly patients with locally advanced gastric cancer (LAGC) and develop and validate the novel nomograms for predicting the survival.

METHODS

The clinical features of patients treated between 2000 and 2018 were collected and collated from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database and three medical centres in China, and the patients were randomly divided into a training cohort (3494), internal validation cohort (1497) and external validation cohort (841). Univariate and multivariate analyses of the prognostic values were performed to identify independent prognostic factors associated with overall survival (OS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS), and two nomogram models were developed. Harrell's concordance index (C-index) and calibration curves were employed to assess discrimination and calibration. Decision curve analysis (DCA) and receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curves were utilized to investigate the clinical usefulness.

RESULTS

In the SEER database, the 5-year OS of the patients was 31.08%, while the 5-year CSS of the patients was 44.09%. Furthermore, in the external validation set, the 5-year OS of the patients was 49.58%, and the 5-year CSS of these patients was 53.51%. After statistical analysis, nine independent prognostic factors of OS and CSS were identified, including age, race, tumour size, differentiation, TNM stage, gastrectomy type, lymph node metastasis (LNM), lymph node ratio (LNR) and chemotherapy. The C-index (approximately 0.7) and calibration curve (close to the optimal calibration line) indicated satisfactory discrimination and calibration of the nomogram. DCA and ROC curves showed that the developed nomogram was superior to TNM stage.

CONCLUSION

The novel validated nomogram could accurately predict the prognosis of individual elderly patients with LAGC and guide the selection of clinical treatment measures.

Multiple Lugol-unstained lesions predict higher cumulative risk of malignance in the esophagus

BACKGROUND AND AIM

The impact of the presence of multiple Lugol-unstained lesions (LULs) in the esophagus on the risk of having severe dysplasia and above (SDA) lesions among asymptomatic individuals is unknown.

METHODS

We collected demographic factors, behavioral variables, and features of LULs from 1073 participants who were biopsied at baseline endoscopic screening in a population-based screening trial, and these individuals were followed over a median time of 7 years. Outcome events were defined as SDA identified at screening, at reexamination, or during follow-up. "Multiple LULs" were defined as ≥ 2 LULs found in the entirety of the esophagus. Multivariable logistic regression models were fitted to assess the effect of "multiple LULs" on the cumulative risk of SDA.

RESULTS

There were 147 SDA cases in the current study. After adjustment for potential risk factors and endoscopic features of LULs, the presence of "multiple LULs" slightly increased the cumulative risk of having SDA with no statistical significance (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 1.26; 95% confidence interval [CI] [0.85, 1.88]). Further stratified analysis showed that this association was strong among subjects with small LULs (≤ 5 mm) (adjusted OR = 3.29; 95% CI [1.39, 7.79]). However, no such association was observed in subjects with larger LULs (adjusted OR = 0.99; 95% CI [0.63, 1.55], P _interaction  = 0.022).

CONCLUSIONS

The presence of "multiple small LULs (≤ 5 mm)" in chromoendoscopy indicates a higher cumulative risk of having SDA in the esophagus. We recommend biopsies be taken and surveillance be maintained at a more active level in individuals with relatively small but multiple LULs.

The global, regional and national burden of stomach cancer and its attributable risk factors from 1990 to 2019

We aimed to estimate the incidence, mortality, and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) of stomach cancer at the global, regional, and national levels. Stomach cancer resulted in 1.3 million (1.2-1.4 million) incident cases, 9.5 hundred thousand (8.7-10.4 hundred thousand) deaths, and 22.2 million (20.3-24.1 million) DALYs in 2019. The age-standardized incidence rate, death rate and DALY rate were 15.6 (14.1-17.2), 11.9 (10.8-12.8), and 268.4 (245.5-290.6) per 100,000 person-years, respectively. Between 1990 and 2019, the global age-standardized incidence rate, death rate, and DALY rate decreased by - 30.5% (- 36.7 to - 22.9), - 41.9% (- 47.2 to - 36.3), and - 45.6% (- 50.8 to - 39.8), respectively. In 2019, most of the global numbers of incidence, death and DALYs were higher among males than females. A considerable burden of stomach cancer was attributable to smoking and a high-sodium diet. Although the global age-standardized incidence and death rates have decreased, continued growth in absolute numbers in some regions, especially in East Asia, poses a major global public health challenge. To address this, public health responses should be tailored to fit each country's unique situation. Primary and secondary prevention strategies with increased effectiveness are required to reduce the incidence and mortality of stomach cancer, particularly in populations with a high disease burden.

Economic Perspective of Cancer Care and Its Consequences for Vulnerable Groups

Simple Summary

For cancer patients, many different reasons can cause financial burdens and economic threads. Sociodemographic factors, rural/remote location and income are known determinants for these vulnerable groups. This economic vulnerability is related to the reduced utilization of cancer care and the impact on outcome. Financial burden has been reported in many countries throughout the world and needs to be addressed as part of the sufficient quality of cancer care.

Abstract

Within healthcare systems in all countries, vulnerable groups of patients can be identified and are characterized by the reduced utilization of available healthcare. Many different reasons can be attributed to this observation, summarized as implementation barriers involving acceptance, accessibility, affordability, acceptability and quality of care. For many patients, cancer care is specifically associated with the occurrence of vulnerability due to the complex disease, very different target groups and delivery situations (from prevention to palliative care) as well as cost-intensive care. Sociodemographic factors, such as educational level, rural/remote location and income, are known determinants for these vulnerable groups. However, different forms of financial burdens likely influence this vulnerability in cancer care delivery in a distinct manner. In a narrative review, these socioeconomic challenges are summarized regarding their occurrence and consequences to current cancer care. Overall, besides direct costs such as for treatment, many facets of indirect costs including survivorship costs for the cancer patients and their social environment need to be considered regarding the impact on vulnerability, treatment compliance and abundance. In addition, individual cancer-related financial burden might also affect the society due to the loss of productivity and workforce availability. Healthcare providers are requested to address this vulnerability during the treatment of cancer patients.

Out-of-pocket costs in gastrointestinal cancer patients: Lack of a perfectly framed problem contributing to financial toxicity

Fighting cancer is an economically expensive challenge for both health care payers, and the patients and their families and the median costs for cancer care are rapidly increasing in the last decade. Although both direct and indirect costs of medical assistance have been a frequent source of distress and contention, however analysis of the non-medical expenses incurred directly by cancer patients has not received adequate attention. Developing a deeper understanding of so-called "out-of-pocket" costs may be necessary. Out-of-pocket costs for medical care range from 7 % to 11 % of medical costs for all payers. However, the range of out-of-pocket costs shows considerable variability in different studies. In this review, we reviewed available data concerning direct and indirect medical costs, including psychosocial ones.

Characteristics and implications of insurance-reimbursed inpatient care for gastric and oesophageal cancers in Anhui, China

BACKGROUND

This study aimed to identify characteristics and trends in insurance-reimbursed inpatient care (NRIC) for gastric and oesophageal cancers and inform evaluation of medical systems reform.

METHODS

The study extracted routinely collected records of claims for reimbursement from the New Rural Cooperative Medical System (NRCMS) in Anhui Province, China and performed descriptive and regression discontinuity analysis.

RESULTS

From 2013 to 2017, NRIC in terms of person-time per million people (pmp) increased 5.60 and 20.62 times for gastric and oesophageal cancers, respectively. Total expense per episode for gastric and oesophageal cancers increased from 1130.25 and 22 697.99 yuan to 12 514.98 and 24 639.37 yuan, respectively. The ratio of out-of-pocket expenses per inpatient care episode to annual disposable income per capita was 0.43 for gastric cancer and 0.91 for oesophageal cancer and decreased by 0.17 and 0.47, respectively. Regression discontinuity modelling revealed that, when controlled for disposable income, illiteracy rate and months from start time, the treatment variable was significantly associated with person-times of NRIC pmp (β=0.613, p=0.000), length of stay per 105 people (β=-52.990, p=0.000) and total expenses per NRIC episode (β=2.431, p=0.000).

CONCLUSIONS

The study period witnessed substantial achievements in benefits to patients, inpatient care efficiency and equity. These achievements may be attributed mainly to the recent reforms launched in Anhui province, China.

Expenditure and Financial Burden for Stomach Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment in China: A Multicenter Study

Background: Stomach cancer is a huge threat to the health of Chinese people. However, few studies have looked into the expenditure and financial burden due to stomach cancer in China. Methods: To estimate the direct (medical and non-medical) and indirect expenditure for diagnosis and treatment for stomach cancer patients in China, a multicenter survey was conducted in 37 tertiary hospitals in 13 provinces across China from 2012 to 2014. Each enrolled patient was interviewed through a structured questionnaire. The medical and non-medical expenditure at different clinical stages, the composition of non-medical expenditure, and the time loss for the cancer patient and their family were assessed. All expenditure data were inflated to the 2014 Chinese Yuan [CNY; 1 CNY = 0.163 USA dollar (USD)]. Results: A total of 2,401 stomach cancer patients with a mean age of 58.1 ± 11.4 years were included, predominately male. The overall average direct expenditure per patient was estimated to be US $9,899 (medical expenditure 91.2%, non-medical expenditure 8.8%), and the expenditures for stage I, II, III, and IV were $8,648, $9,004, $9,810, and $10,816, respectively; expenditure in stage III and IV was significantly higher than that in stages I and II (p < 0.05). One-year out-of-pocket expenditure of a newly diagnosed patient with stomach cancer was $5,368, accounting for 63.8% of their previous-year household income, which led to 79.2% families suffering an unmanageable financial burden. The average loss of time for patients and caregivers was $996. Conclusions: This study indicated that the economic burden of stomach cancer in urban China was onerous. Effective intervention is necessary to reduce the financial burden by reducing the personal payment ratio and increasing the reimbursement ratio.

Trend of disparity between coastland and inland in medical expenditure burden for rural inpatients with malignant tumor in southeast of China from 2007 to 2016

Background

New Rural Cooperative Medical Scheme (NRCMS) was developed to improve the health security for rural residents. This study aimed to assess the trend of disparity between coastland and inland in medical expenditure burden for rural inpatients with malignant tumor from 2007 to 2016 under the effect of NRCMS.

Methods

The data from medical records of 1,306,895 patients with malignant tumor who had NRCMS in 2932 hospitals was collected. The relative differences [95% confidence intervals (CIs)] between coastland and inland in four medical expense indicators were calculated using generalized linear models to assess the trend of disparity over time.

Results

In total, there were 769,484 (58.88%) coastland patients and 537,411 (41.12%) inland patients. Male and patients aged older than 44 years accounted for 56.87 and 80% of 1,306,895 patients, respectively. After adjusting for gender, age, tumor site and hospital level, coastland patients had higher hospitalization expenses which were all medical expenses incurred during the hospitalization, lower reimbursement ratio and ratio of out-of-pocket expenses to disposable income than inland patients in most years. The surgery expenses of coastland patients were lower than those of inland patients in 2016. The relative differences (95% CIs) between coastland and inland in medical expense indicators were moving closer to 1.0 from 2007 to 2010 among patients without surgery, implying that the disparity between two areas significantly narrowed. The range of change was similar between two areas from 2011 to 2016 whether among patients without or with surgery, implying that the disparity did not significantly change. The disparity between coastland and inland depended on the household income situation. For low-income patients, the differences between two areas in medical expense indicators were not statistically significance in most cases and the disparity between two areas did not significantly change over time.

Conclusions

Under the effect of NRCMS, the medical expenditure burden of rural inpatients reduced but suffering from malignant tumor was still catastrophic. As a whole, the inland patients had heavier medical expenditure burden than coastland patients. Because of economic factors and medical assistance policies, the medical expenditure burden was similar between coastland and inland low-income patients.

Effectiveness of Intensive Endoscopic Screening for Esophageal Cancer in China: A Community-Based Study

Evidence is required to evaluate the effectiveness of population-level endoscopic screening for esophageal cancer (EC). In this study, 5,632 permanent residents aged 25-65 years from 6 villages in Hua County, Henan Province, China, were defined as the screening cohort and were offered intensive endoscopic screening. Residents of all 914 remaining villages in Hua County were included as the control cohort, and age-sex standardization was used to calculate the expected numbers of EC and upper gastrointestinal (GI) tract cancer cases and deaths in the screening cohort. The effectiveness of screening was assessed by comparing observed numbers of cases and deaths with expected numbers after 9-year follow-up of these screened subjects (2007-2016). In the screening cohort, 23 upper GI cancers (including 16 ECs) and 10 upper GI cancer deaths (including 5 EC deaths) were identified, and 47% (standardized incidence ratio = 0.53, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.33, 0.87) and 66% (standardized mortality ratio = 0.34, 95% CI: 0.14, 0.81) reductions in cumulative EC incidence and mortality were found. For upper GI cancers, incidence and mortality were lowered by 43% (standardized incidence ratio = 0.57, 95% CI: 0.38, 0.86) and 53% (standardized mortality ratio = 0.47, 95% CI: 0.25, 0.88), respectively. This study showed that upper GI tract endoscopy is an effective population-level screening test for EC in high-risk regions.

Efficacy of endoscopic screening for esophageal cancer in China (ESECC): design and preliminary results of a population-based randomised controlled trial

OBJECTIVE

Description of the design and preliminary results of baseline recruitment and screening in the endoscopic screening for esophageal cancer in China (ESECC), the first randomised controlled trial (RCT) assessing efficacy and cost-effectiveness of endoscopic screening for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC).

DESIGN

ESECC trial is a cluster RCT, and 668 villages in rural Hua County, Henan Province, a high-incidence area of ESCC in China, were randomised into two arms at a ratio of 1:1. Screening arm participants were screened by Lugol chromoendoscopy; no screening was performed in the control arm. ESCC-specific and all-cause mortality, incidence of advanced ESCC and cost-effectiveness of screening will be evaluated in the next 10-year follow-up. Here, we report the performance of baseline recruitment and randomisation, prevalence of upper GI lesions and risk factors for ESCC.

RESULTS

A total of 17 151 and 16 797 participants were enrolled in screening and control arms from January 2012 to September 2016. The truncated prevalence (aged 45-69 years) of oesophageal and overall upper GI high-grade lesions was 744.0/100 000 and 902.0/100 000. 69.9% of the 113 patients with high-grade oesophageal lesions were of early stage. Risk factors for severe oesophageal dysplasia and more severe lesions in this population included higher age, family history of ESCC, lower body mass index, eating rapidly and frequent ingestion of leftovers.

CONCLUSION

This ESECC trial met the predesigned recruitment and randomisation requirements. Age, family history, undernutrition and unhealthy dietary habits increased the risk for high-grade oesophageal lesions in this high-risk population.

TRAIL REGISTRATION NUMBER

NCT01688908; Pre-results.

Identification of cancer patients using claims data from health insurance systems: A real-world comparative study

Objective

To evaluate the accuracy of identifying cancer patients by use of medical claims data in a health insurance system in China, and provide the basis for establishing the claims-based cancer surveillance system in China.

Methods

We chose Hua County, Henan Province as the study site, and randomly selected 300 and 1,200 qualified inpatient electronic medical records (EMRs) as well as the New Rural Cooperative Medical Scheme (NCMS) claims records for cancer patients in Hua County People’s Hospital (HCPH) and Anyang Cancer Hospital (ACH) in 2017. Diagnostic information for NCMS claims was evaluated on an individual level, and sensitivity and positive predictive value (PPV) were calculated taking the EMRs as the gold standard.

Results

The sensitivity of NCMS was 95.2% (93.8%−96.3%) and 92.0% (88.3%−94.8%) in ACH and HCPH, respectively. The PPV of the NCMS was 97.8% (96.7%−98.5%) in ACH and 89.0% (84.9%−92.3%) in HCPH. Overall, the weighted and combined sensitivity and PPV of NCMS in Hua County was 93.1% and 92.1%, respectively. Significantly higher sensitivity and PPV in identifying patients with common cancers than non-common cancers were detected in HCPH and ACH separately (P<0.01).

Conclusions

Identification of cancer patients by use of the NCMS is accurate on individual level, and it is therefore feasible to conduct claims-based cancer surveillance in areas not covered by cancer registries in China.

Targeted literature review of the global burden of gastric cancer

Gastric cancer (GC) and gastroesophageal junction cancers (GEJCs) are the third leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Although several studies have evaluated the epidemiology and management of GC and GEJC, to our knowledge, no global estimates of the economic burden of GC and GEJC have yet been reported. This targeted literature review was conducted to summarise the epidemiology and management of GC and GEJC and to estimate its global economic and humanistic burden. The incidence of GC and GEJC is highest in Eastern Asia, several South and Central American countries and Central and Eastern Europe and lowest in North America and Africa. Prognosis is generally poor; the global 5-year survival rate is 5%-10% in advanced stages. Patients with GC and GEJC have more severe symptoms compared with patients with other cancers, and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) worsens as the disease progresses. Given the rapid progression of GC and GEJC at advanced stages, chemotherapy, despite its toxicity, improves HRQoL compared with best supportive care. The costs of GC/GEJC are generally higher than for other cancers; in the US, the average annual cost per patient between 1998 and 2003 was 46,501 USD, compared with 29,609 USD and 35,672 USD for colorectal and lung cancer, respectively. Based on the 2012 incidence data and average costs per patient, estimates of the annual financial burden of GC and GEJC revealed great regional differences. Japan and Iran had the highest (8,492 million USD) and lowest (27 million USD) costs for 2017, respectively, while the estimate for the US was 3,171 million USD. The overall annual cost of GC and GEJC estimated for 2017 in a geographic area including Europe (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK), Asia (Iran, Japan and China), North America (Canada and the US) and Australia was 20.6 billion USD.

Annual cost of illness of stomach and esophageal cancer patients in urban and rural areas in China: A multi-center study

Objective

Stomach and esophageal cancer are imposing huge threats to the health of Chinese people whereas there were few studies on the financial burden of the two cancers.

Methods

Costs per hospitalization of all patients with stomach or esophageal cancer discharged between September 2015 and August 2016 in seven cities/counties in China were collected, together with their demographic information and clinical details. Former patients in the same hospitals were sampled to collect information on annual direct non-medical cost, indirect costs and annual number of hospitalization. Annual direct medical cost was obtained by multiplying cost per hospitalization by annual number of hospitalization. Annual cost of illness (ACI) was obtained by adding the average value of annual direct medical cost, direct non-medical cost and indirect cost, stratified by sex, age, clinical stage, therapy and pathologic type in urban and rural areas. Costs per hospitalization were itemized into eight parts to calculate the proportion of each part. All costs were converted to 2016 US dollars (1 USD=6.6423 RMB).

Results

Totally 19,986 cases were included, predominately male. Mean ages of stomach cancer and urban patients were lower than that of esophageal cancer and rural patients. ACI of stomach and esophageal cancer patients were $10,449 and $13,029 in urban areas, and $2,927 and $3,504 in rural areas, respectively. Greater ACI was associated with male, non-elderly patients as well as those who were in stage I and underwent surgeries. Western medicine fee took the largest proportion of cost per hospitalization.

Conclusions

The ACI of stomach and esophageal cancer was tremendous and varied substantially among the population in China. Preferential policies of medical insurance should be designed to tackle with this burden and further reduce the health care inequalities.

Health-related quality of life among rural residents aged 45-69 years in Hua County, Henan Province, China: Results of ESECC Trial for esophageal cancer screening with endoscopy

Objective

There have been few population-based studies evaluating health related quality of life (HRQOL) in rural populations in China, and this study aimed to assess the current status of and risk factors for HRQOL in a general rural population in high risk region of esophageal cancer in China.

Methods

From November 2015 to September 2016, 12,085 permanent residents aged 45-69 years from 257 villages in the Endoscopic Screening for Esophageal Cancer in China (ESECC) trial (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT01688908) randomly selected from Hua County, Henan Province, China were interviewed. The EQ-5D-3L, a generic measure of HRQOL, and a questionnaire were used to assess their HRQOL and potential risk factors.

Results

Among all the participants, 30.62% of the participants reported problems in at least one EQ-5D dimension. Pain/discomfort (25.52%) was the most frequently reported problem followed by anxiety/depression (7.97%), mobility (5.82%), usual activities (2.61%) and self-care (1%). These rural residents had a mean EQ-5D index score of 0.948, and lower EQ-5D index scores were associated with older age, female gender, lower levels of household annual per capita income, living alone, using shallow wells as main source of drinking water, exposure to family members smoking, testiness, unhealthy dietary habits, overweight or obesity, upper gastrointestinal cancer related symptoms and chronic diseases.

Conclusions

Rural residents in China have a relatively low quality of life. Health promotion programs in this population should focus on the elderly, especially elderly women and the elderly living alone. Improving basic living circumstances and primary medical care services should be priorities. Results of this study will also serve as the basis for the cost-utility evaluation in our ESECC screening trial.

Estimation of population-based utility weights for gastric cancer-related health states

BACKGROUND

This study aimed to generate utility weights of gastric cancer-related health states from the perspective of the Korean general population.

METHODS

The Korean adults (age ≥19 years) included in the study were sampled using multistage quota sampling methods stratified by sex, age, and education level. Nine scenarios for hypothetical gastric cancer-related health states were developed and reviewed. After consenting to participate, the subjects were surveyed by trained interviewers using a computer-assisted personal interview method. Participants were asked to perform standard gamble tasks to measure the utility weights of 5 randomly assigned health states (from among nine scenarios). The mean utility weight was calculated for each health state.

RESULTS

Three hundred twenty-six of the 407 adults who completed this study were included in the analysis. The mean utility weights from the standard gamble were 0.857 (no gastric cancer with Helicobacter pylori infection), 0.773 (early gastric cancer [EGC] with endoscopic surgery), 0.779 (EGC with subtotal gastrectomy), 0.767 (EGC with total gastrectomy), 0.602 (advanced gastric cancer with subtotal gastrectomy and adjuvant chemotherapy), 0.643 (advanced gastric cancer with total gastrectomy and adjuvant chemotherapy), 0.522 (advanced gastric cancer with extended gastrectomy and adjuvant chemotherapy), 0.404 (metastatic gastric cancer with palliative chemotherapy), and 0.399 (recurrent gastric cancer with palliative chemotherapy).

CONCLUSION

This study was the first to comprehensively estimate the utility weights of gastric cancer-related health states in a general population. The utility weights derived from this study could be useful for future economic evaluations related to gastric cancer interventions.