Stage-specific treatment costs for cervical cancer in the Salah Azaiez Institute of cancer in Tunisia

Abstract

Cervical cancer (CC) is the fourth leading cause of cancer in women worldwide. The World Health Organization recommends performing country-specific economic assessments before the implementation of any national strategy. In Tunisia, studies about the cost of CC are rare. The latest study was in 2003, 20years prior to our study. Our objective was to estimate the stage-specific costs associated with CC in the Salah Azaiez Institute of cancer in Tunisia. This was a cost study conducted at Salah Azaiez Institute in March 2023 consisting of two parts; collecting data about needed check-ups in every cervical cancer stage and estimating the financial cost of each procedure from the hospital's finance unit. The cost of cervical cancer diagnosis and treatment at Salah Azaiez Institute ranged from 550 to 2603 US$ depending on the cancer stage and the treatment involved. The initial checkup of cervical cancer (including gynecological examination, biopsy, MRI, and laboratory checkups) cost 350$. The diagnosis and treatments cost 550$ for the IA stage and 585$ for IB1 and IB2 stages. These costs were significantly lower than stages IB3, II, IIIA, IIIB, and IVA (2603$). The diagnosis and treatment costs were of 1800$ for stage IIIC and 750$ for stage IVB. In conclusion, this study contributed in delivering essential data of the financial burdens associated to diagnosis and treatment of CC in Tunisia. This study would be an important tool to guide current strategy to fight against cervical cancer in Tunisia