NYMC Faculty Publications
Title
A Clinical and Economic Comparison of Rasburicase and Allopurinol in the Treatment of Patients with Clinical or Laboratory Tumor Lysis Syndrome
First Page
173
Last Page
178
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
March 2017
Department
Pediatrics
Abstract
BACKGROUND: The aim of the study was to compare reductions in uric acid (UA), length of stay (LOS), and hospitalization costs in patients with tumor lysis syndrome (TLS) treated with rasburicase or allopurinol. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This retrospective study of administrative data included hospitalized pediatric and adult patients who had clinical or laboratory TLS and received rasburicase or allopurinol. Each rasburicase-treated patient was propensity scorse-matched with 4 allopurinol-treated patients. Mean changes in UA within <= 2 days of treatment initiation were determined. Economic outcomes included mean number of days in the intensive care unit (ICU), total LOS, costs/hospitalization, and costs/percentage change in UA. RESULTS: Twenty-six rasburicase-treated patients were matched with 104 allopurinol-treated patients. Reduction in plasma UA was 5.3 mg/dL greater for patients treated with rasburicase than for patients treated with allopurinol (P<.0001). Length of ICU stay was 2.5 days less for patients treated with rasburicase than for patients treated with allopurinol (P< .0001), and total LOS was 5 days less for patients treated with rasburicase than for patients treated with allopurinol (P = .02). Total costs per patient were $20,038 lower for patients treated with rasburicase than for patients treated with allopurinol (P< .02). Cost per percentage UA reduction was also lower for patients treated with rasburicase versus patients treated with allopurinol ($3899 vs. $16,894; P<.001). CONCLUSION: In this analysis of TLS patients who received care in real-world settings, rasburicase versus allopurinol was significantly more effective in treating hyperuricemia and was associated with significantly shorter ICU and overall hospital stays and lower total inpatient costs.
Recommended Citation
Cairo, M. S., Thompson, S., Tangirala, K., & Eaddy, M. (2017). A Clinical and Economic Comparison of Rasburicase and Allopurinol in the Treatment of Patients with Clinical or Laboratory Tumor Lysis Syndrome. Clinical Lymphoma, Myeloma & Leukemia, 17 (3), 173-178. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clml.2016.11.003
