Abstract
This study was undertaken to determine the healthcare burden of malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) in France and to analyze its associations with socioeconomic deprivation, population density, and management outcomes. A national hospital database was used to extract incident MPM patients in years 2011 and 2012. Cox models were used to analyze 1- and 2-year survival according to sex, age, co-morbidities, management, population-density index, and social deprivation index. The analysis included 1,890 patients (76% men; age: 73.6 ± 10.0 years; 84% with significant co-morbidities; 57% living in urban zones; 53% in highly underprivileged areas). Only 1% underwent curative surgical procedure; 65% received at least one chemotherapy cycle, 72% of them with at least one pemetrexed and/or bevacizumab administration. One- and 2-year survival rates were 64% and 48%, respectively. Median survival was 14.9 (95% CI: 13.7-15.7) months. The mean cost per patient was 27,624 ± 17,263 euros (31% representing pemetrexed and bevacizumab costs). Multivariate analyses retained men, age >70 years, chronic renal failure, chronic respiratory failure, and never receiving pemetrexed as factors of poor prognosis. After adjusting the analysis to age, sex, and co-morbidities, living in rural/semi-rural area was associated with better 2-year survival (HR: 0.83 [95% CI: 0.73-0.94]; P < 0.01); social deprivation index was not significantly associated with survival. With approximately 1,000 new cases per year in France, MPMs represents a significant national health care burden. Co-morbidities, sex, age, and living place appear to be significant factors of prognosis.