Economic Evaluation of Melatonin as Adjuvant Lung Cancer Treatment : A Comparision of Melatonin with Chemotherapy and Chemotherapy Alone

Abstract

The objective of this study was to perform the economic evaluation of melatonin as adjuvant lung cancer treatment by comparision of melatonin 10 and 20 mg as an adjuvant chemotherapy and chemotherapy alone. A descriptive retrospective study was conducted. A markov model was used to do the cost-utility analysis based on the healthcare provider perspective. The patient costs data were collected from medical records and data base of Khon Kaen Hospital and Srinagarind Hospital from December 2006 to November 2010. The health state uitlities were converted from the quality of life data that were obtained from research results of Melatonin in Patient with Cancer Receiving Chemotherapy: A Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo-controlled Trial (MIRCIT trial) (Sookprasert et al., 2014). Both cost and health outcomes were discounted at 3%. The results showed that the adjuvant chemotherapy melatonin 10 mg was the more cost effective than melatonin 20 mg. The incremental cost effectiveness ratio (ICER) of melatonin 10 mg and 20 mg adjuvant chemotherapy compared with placebo were 4,254 THB and 7,802 THB per quality adjusted life months gained, respectively. In conclusion, at the ceiling threshold of one time per capita Gross National Income (10,000 THB per month), melatonin 10 mg adjuvant chemotherapy was the most cost effective option.