[Optimizing good use and costs of anticancer drugs: A French inter regional study of the Observatory of Cancer].

[Optimizing good use and costs of anticancer drugs: A French inter regional study of the Observatory of Cancer]. Bull Cancer. 2013 Mar;100(3):271-82 Authors: Grudé F, Bessard R, Bourgeois H, Douillard JY, Gamelin E, Metges JP, Riché C, Vidal AM Abstract Optimizing the care management of patients is a major issue for our society. In Brittany-Pays-de-la-Loire (almost 10% of French population), an observatory of cancer has been created in 2003. Its main objective was the follow-up of expensive drugs. The knowledge of the use of these drugs in clinical practice has led to development of a thesaurus of good use. Thus, regular exchanges between clinicians have almost totally reduced not medically justified prescriptions by the thesaurus after and before administration to patient. The thesaurus has given away to national guidelines from 2007. For example, in these two regions, optimization of the use of gemcitabine and bevacizumab has allowed to save respectively 2.5 millions euros between 2005 and 2008 and 3 millions euros between 2009 and 2010 (breast cancer only). Optimizing the use of anticancer drugs has allowed a real health economy without any bad impact on patient management. Respecting medical ethics, the main objective remains to optimize health care. This highly participation of clinicians currently allows to reflect together on the relevance of the last chemotherapy. PMID: 23518301 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
Source: Bulletin du Cancer - Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Tags: Bull Cancer Source Type: research