Outpatient care for bladder cancer patient has increased in Finland, and costs have increased moderately during 2011–2019

Background   The objective of this study was to estimate the annual number of bladder cancer diagnoses, procedures, survival of patients after disease progression and how patient healthcare resource use and costs are distributed in different stages of the disease as well as disease-specific benefits paid by Kela.

Methods  The study is retrospective and based on national registers. The primary data set consisted of Finnish bladder cancer patients during 2011–2019, and the patients were classified into three groups for analysis (non-muscle-invasive/superficial, locally advanced, and advanced).

Results   The outpatient service focus increased in specialized healthcare, and the total cost of healthcare service use in 2019 was 17% higher than in 2011. The total cost of bladder cancer treatment increased by only 2% between 2015 and 2018 while the number of patients under treatment increased by approximately 10% during the same time. The average cost per patient has decreased during the study period in patients with superficial and locally advanced bladder cancer but increased in patients with advanced cancer.

Conclusions   Treatment of bladder cancer patients followed general healthcare trends, where inpatient care is decreasing, and outpatient care is increasing. The importance of monitoring resource use, costs, and treatment efficacy is highlighted to further ensure cost-effective cancer treatment choices.

Jukka Sairanen, Johanna Ruohola, Susanna Jonkka, Kaisa Teittinen, Riikka-Leena Leskelä, Severi Niskanen, Outi Isomeri