Researchers from the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) College of Dentistry and three healthcare companies -- Delta Dental of Michigan, Delta Dental of Wisconsin, and Thomson Reuters -- are embarking on a six-month study designed to determine the true cost burden of oral cancer.
"We want to determine whether preventing the disease reduces the costs, but first we need to know those costs," said Joel Epstein, D.M.D., M.S.D., a professor of oral medicine and diagnostic sciences at UIC, in a press release. "We want to find out what the cost of care is, from diagnosis to survivorship."
The costs of oral cancer include the direct cost of care, including medical, pharmacy, and dental costs, and ongoing costs due to complications of therapy and potential disability, Dr. Epstein said. Indirect costs include absenteeism and decreased worker productivity that come along with disabling side effects of treatment, said Jed Jacobson, D.D.S., M.S., M.P.H., the chief science officer and senior vice president of Delta Dental of Michigan.
Most oral cancers require costly and disfiguring medical intervention. Oral cancer frequently grows without producing pain or readily recognizable symptoms, and it has a high risk of producing second, primary tumors. The survival rate is 80% to 90% if caught in its early stages, but that number decreases to 25% to 35% if detected in the late stages, Dr. Epstein said.
The social, psychological, and economic effects of oral health are a relatively underdeveloped area of research, he added. "That's why the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has called for increased collaboration among healthcare providers, healthcare financiers, educators, researchers, and policymakers."
In the UIC study, the researchers will examine the comparative value of preventive care for oral cancers versus treatment. "We need to get a handle on the impact of these diseases and how we can combat them better," Dr. Jacobson said.
Thomson Reuters will use its market research databases to evaluate the cost of oral cancers among patients with employer-sponsored insurance, Medicare with employer-sponsored supplemental insurance, or Medicaid. The study will also use information from Delta Dental of Michigan's Research and Data Institute.
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