Economic impact of lung cancer clinical trials: Assessing cost savings in medication and testing

IntroductionThe benefit of clinical trials for lung cancer treatment extends beyond scientific advancement, offering significant cost savings for healthcare systems. This study aims to quantify the economic benefits obtained from the enrollment of lung cancer patients in clinical trials by analyzing the cost savings achieved through reduced medication expenses and medical tests.MethodsA retrospective and longitudinal analysis was performed to evaluate the economic benefits obtained from sponsor-provided medications and medical tests by analyzing data from lung cancer clinical trials conducted at a tertiary hospital in Spain from 2017-2021. Patient demographics, lung cancer histology, mutation status, cancer stage, treatment regimens, and the types and costs of imaging tests were collected from electronic medical records and the pkEnsayos^® software. Cost savings were estimated based on the expenses that would have been incurred under standard-of-care treatment.ResultsA total of 117 patients were enrolled in 35 trials, generating an economic benefit of €2,207,726 over five years. Most of these benefits (94.6%) were associated with NSCLC trials. Trial-medications accounted for €2,079,278 in savings, with phase III studies contributing 76.1% of this amount. A total of 642 imaging tests resulted in an economic benefit of €128,448. The difference in economic benefit between medications and imaging tests was statistically significant.ConclusionThis study showed that lung cancer clinical trials were associated with substantial economic benefits reducing medication expenses and sponsor-financing imaging medical tests. By participating in such trials, healthcare institutions can potentially alleviate the economic burden associated with lung cancer treatment and improve patient access to innovative therapies.