The secondary care (hospital) cost of treating and rehabilitating patients with head and neck cancer

Background

The cost of head and neck cancer treatment is of interest to clinicians and providers. The aim of this work was to estimate the costs of treating and rehabilitating patients following different head and neck cancer diagnoses.

Design

A single-centre retrospective cohort study using purposive sampling of patient records. Patient-level costing was performed using the hospital's Patient Level Information and Costing System (PLICS), capturing costs across surgical, radiotherapeutic, and oral rehabilitation pathways.

Results

Ten patients were included. Treatment costs ranged from £15,560 to £69,536. Advanced-stage cancers were costly, requiring multi-modality treatment and complex oral rehabilitation. Primary dental implant placement was more cost-effective than delayed placement.

Conclusion

There is substantial variability in the cost of curative treatment and oral rehabilitation for head and neck cancer. Stage at diagnosis and modality of rehabilitation significantly influence total cost. These findings support the economic rationale for early detection and standardised rehabilitation protocols.