The Direct Medical Cost of Cancer in Iran During ۱۹۹۶-۲۰۱۹: A Systematic Review

Context: Studies showed that Cancer is the third leading cause of death and the second cause of chronic non-communicable diseases in Iran. So it results in heavy costs and economic burden at the regional level. Objectives: The main objective of this article was to determine the direct medical costs of cancer in Iran. Data Sources: The sources of information were electronic databases and grey literature. An electronic search is performed through PubMed/ Medline, Institute of Scientific Information (ISI), Scopus, Magiran, SID, Iranmedex, etc. A systematic review was including observational studies in English and Persian languages during ۱۹۹۶-۲۰۱۹. Results: The studies were selected based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. Overall, ۲۱ articles were included in the study. The studies used direct medical costs to measure outcomes. The breast cancer, gastrointestinal (gastric and colorectal), blood, lung, prostate, oral cancers have taken over the significant share of the direct medical costs, respectively. Conclusion: The results of this systematic review showed that cancer is relatively costly in Iran and other parts of the country. Therefore, investigating direct medical costs can be effective in government policy in the treatment of cancer patients and also for insurance agencies in the coverage of insurance services and ultimately in improving the access of patients to services and promoting overall health in society.