Costs of First-Line Treatment With FOLFIRINOX, Modified FOLFIRINOX, and Gemcitabine With Nab-Paclitaxel in Metastatic Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma.

Background: Further research is needed to determine real-world costs of first-line (1L) treatment of metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (mPDAC) with FOLFIRINOX (FFX), modified FFX (mFFX), and gemcitabine with nab-paclitaxel (GnP). Objectives: To describe healthcare costs by treatment regimen, stratified by commercial and Medicare Advantage insurance. Methods: This retrospective cohort study of adult patients with mPDAC utilized Optum's de-identified Market Clarity Dataset. Demographics, clinical characteristics, and 1L unadjusted all-cause healthcare costs were examined. Total all-cause costs included costs from inpatient, outpatient, chemotherapy drug and administration, granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF), radiation therapy, and other outpatient and pharmacy costs. Results: A total of 3115 patients met the criteria for inclusion and received 1L treatment with either FFX, mFFX, or GnP. Among those, 1703 had commercial insurance (FFX, 536; mFFX, 673; GnP, 494) and 1412 had Medicare Advantage (FFX, 201; mFFX, 317; GnP, 894). Total cost of care (mean [SD]) was similar between regimens for each insurance cohort (mean [SD] commercial: FFX, Discussion: Total costs of 1L FFX, mFFX, and GnP were similar within a commercially insured and Medicare Advantage cohort. FFX and mFFX costs were largely driven by chemotherapy administration and G-CSF costs, while GnP costs were driven by chemotherapy drug costs. Conclusions: To fully assess the economic impact of mPDAC in 1L treatment, it is essential to consider both the total cost and the individual cost components, such as chemotherapy drugs, administration, and supportive care costs.