Table 1 Treatment of advanced melanoma in Italy - Unit costs

Hospitalization

cost per day

740

Cost for one day stay in hospital, overall average. Original data referred to 2004, inflated to 2009 via consumer price index

[13]

Hospice stay

cost per day

211

Daily current tariff, mean of Lombardy and Piedmont values

[14]

Emergency room visit

cost per visit

252

Original cost data referred to 2007, inflated to 2009 via consumer price index

[15]

Outpatient (specialist visit)

cost per visit

22

Specialist visit, current tariff (code: 89.7)

[16]

Adverse events (AE)

cost per day

see Note

AEs classified into categories based on ATC coding (level 2) of the drugs used for their treatment. Daily drug cost based on most frequently prescribed medications (e.g. ondansetron, filgrastim, lenograstim, pegfilgrastim, etc.)

[17]

Radiotherapy

cost per regimen in combination with systemic therapy

2814

DRG 409 (radiotherapy in day hospital) current tariff times average radiotherapies/patient number (7.5)

[18, 19]

Transfusion

cost per procedure

179

Current tariff for one unit (ml 280 +/− 20%) of red blood cells added to transfusion procedure tariff (code: 99.07.1)

[16, 20]

SURGERY

Resection of primary tumor

cost per procedure

2785

DRG 266 tariff

Lymph node resection

cost per procedure

1359

DRG 270 tariff

[18]

All other visceral

cost per procedure

7322

Average of DRG tariffs (192: liver and pancreas; 149: abdomen; 303: kidney)

[18]

Brain metastases

cost per procedure

13493

DRG 001 tariff

[18]

Isolated limb perfusion

cost per procedure

2411

DRG 273 tariff

[18]

Biopsy

cost per procedure

14

Procedure tariff (code: 86.11)

[16]

Distant skin

cost per procedure

2072

Average of DRG 266 and 270 tariffs

[18]

Lung

cost per procedure

8335

DRG 75 tariff

[18]