Optimization of Cancer Care Costs: A Systematic Review of International Publications

Introduction: Malignant neoplasms pose a serious challenge due to significant economic costs, both direct (diagnosis and treatment) and indirect (sickness absence, disability, years of life lost, etc.). The studies addressing financial aspects of cancer care are aimed at examining already existing approaches to funding, identifying new trends, and forecasting future directions.
Objective: To formulate directions for optimizing cancer care costs based on the analysis of international studies published between 2014 and 2024.
Materials and methods: Publications were selected from the Web of Science international database using the following search queries: “oncology”, “cancer”, “healthcare”, “medical care”, “health care”, and “health system”. Metadata from 173 selected papers were then analyzed using the Bibliometrix 3.0 software. The systematic review included materials of 39 most relevant publications containing information about cancer care costs and ways of their optimization.
Results: In most countries, costs of cancer treatment constitute a significant proportion of the total funds allocated for healthcare. Researchers propose various approaches to reducing these expenses. We identified three key directions of international publications examining ways to use cancer care resources effectively: assessment of cancer treatment costs, investigation of factors influencing them, and evaluation of cancer care cost reduction opportunities.
Conclusions: We defined the main strategies and methods for rational use of financial resources in oncology. These approaches can be adapted to specific conditions and needs of various health facilities providing cancer care. Their implementation requires joint efforts by the government, medical institutions, professional associations, and the society as a whole.

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