Costs of posttreatment surveillance for patients with upper aerodigestive tract cancer.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the range of recommended follow-up strategies for patients with upper aerodigestive tract cancer treated with curative intent and to estimate the cost of follow-up.
DESIGN: Economic analyses of the costs associated with 31 follow-up strategies (12 generic and 19 site specific) identified from a MEDLINE search of the literature for 1978 to 1997 and a search of major textbooks. Generic strategies are not specific for site or histology and are exclusive of strategies designed for the rare patient, ie, patients who would not be considered average in terms of clinical characteristics. Charge data obtained from the Part B Medicare Annual Data File and the Hospital Outpatient Bill File were used as a proxy for cost.
SETTING: Ambulatory care. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Nationwide Medicare-allowed charges and an actual-charge proxy for 5 years of surveillance after treatment for upper aerodigestive tract cancer.
RESULTS: Medicare-allowed charges for 5-year follow-up ranged from a low of $739 to a high of $14,079 for the generic and site-specific strategies combined and from $739 to $4646 for the 12 generic strategies alone. When Medicare-allowed charges were converted to a proxy for actual charges using a conversion ratio of 1.62, the range was $1198 to $22,807 for all strategies combined (a 19-fold difference in charges) and $1198 to $7597 for the generic strategies alone (a 5-fold difference in charges).
CONCLUSIONS: Charges vary extensively across surveillance strategies, particularly if site-specific strategies are considered, although the potential benefit of more intensive, higher-cost strategies on survival or quality of life has yet to be demonstrated.