Archives of otolaryngology--head & neck surgery
-
Arch. Otolaryngol. Head Neck Surg. · Jun 2009
Incidence and costs of treatment-related complications among patients with advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck.
To evaluate the incidence and costs of complications due to radiotherapy alone vs platinum-based chemoradiotherapy among patients diagnosed as having advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (ASCCHN) from a payer perspective. ⋯ Our study results suggest that the attributable incidence and costs of treatment-related complications associated with chemotherapy in ASCCHN are substantial. The emergence of safer treatments may have the advantage of alleviating this cost burden.