{
  "abstract": "Introduction Prevalence of human papillomavirus (HPV)-related cancers in New Zealand (NZ) exceeds that of other high-income countries. These cancers are preventable by vaccination; however, NZ has a low and declining HPV vaccination rate. Literature on the economic burden of HPV-related cancers in NZ is limited. This study quantifies the economic burden of HPV-related cancers in NZ.Methods A retrospective analysis of NZ patients with the six known HPV-associated cancers—oropharyngeal, cervical, vaginal, vulvar, anus/anal canal and penile cancers—between 1 July 2017 and 30 June 2022 was performed. Total number of patients with these cancers, including non-HPV cases, was identified from the NZ Cancer Registry (NZCR). As HPV status is not recorded on the NZCR, the number of HPV-positive cases was estimated using data published by the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). A prevalence cost-of-illness, non-discounted, approach was used to estimate the treatment cost of HPV-related cancers in the public health sector, with costs calculated using national data collections capturing outpatient, inpatient and pharmaceutical events.Results There were an estimated 2342 cases of HPV-attributable cancers, with a cumulative treatment cost of NZ$82.4 million over a 4 year financial period, mostly incurred within the first 2 years of diagnosis. An additional $49 million was incurred for cervical pre-cancer detection by coloscopy and colposcopy-directed treatments.Conclusion The cost of HPV-attributable cancers in NZ during 2019–2022 was conservatively estimated at NZ$131.4 million. This underestimates the true economic burden of the disease as it only includes treatment costs in the public health sector and the proportion of the HPV-associated cancers is based on CDC data. Despite the significant economic burden associated with HPV-related cancers, the vaccination rates in NZ are declining, highlighting the urgent need to increase the HPV vaccination rate to at least 90%, in line with the targets set by other developed countries. Further research evaluating the ethnic disparities and socioeconomic implications of HPV-related cancers is needed.",
  "authors": [
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Wellington Regional Plastic, Maxillofacial and Burns Unit, Hutt Hospital, Lower Hutt, New Zealand",
        "Gillies McIndoe Research Institute, Wellington, New Zealand"
      ],
      "name": "Sabrina P Koh"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Head and Neck Cancer Foundation Aotearoa, Wellington, New Zealand",
        "Sexually Transmitted Infections Education Foundation, Welington, New Zealand"
      ],
      "name": "Cathy Stephenson"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Head and Neck Cancer Foundation Aotearoa, Wellington, New Zealand",
        "Department of Otolaryngology, Auckland City Hospital, Auckland, New Zealand"
      ],
      "name": "John Chaplin"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Head and Neck Cancer Foundation Aotearoa, Wellington, New Zealand",
        "Department of Otolaryngology, Dunedin Hospital, Dunedin, New Zealand"
      ],
      "name": "Dean Ruske"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Head and Neck Cancer Foundation Aotearoa, Wellington, New Zealand",
        "Department of Oncology, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand",
        "Department of Radiation Oncology, Auckland City Hospital, Auckland, New Zealand"
      ],
      "name": "Andrew Macann"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Sexually Transmitted Infections Education Foundation, Welington, New Zealand",
        "Centre for Public Health Research, Massey University, Wellington, New Zealand"
      ],
      "name": "Hayley Denison"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Otago, Christchurch, New Zealand"
      ],
      "name": "Peter Sykes"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Department of Radiation Oncology, Wellington Blood and Cancer Centre, Wellington Hospital, Wellington, New Zealand"
      ],
      "name": "Eric Ji"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Sapere Research Group, Wellington, New Zealand"
      ],
      "name": "Michael Young"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Head and Neck Cancer Foundation Aotearoa, Wellington, New Zealand"
      ],
      "name": "Amelia Jenkinson"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Wellington Regional Plastic, Maxillofacial and Burns Unit, Hutt Hospital, Lower Hutt, New Zealand",
        "Gillies McIndoe Research Institute, Wellington, New Zealand",
        "Head and Neck Cancer Foundation Aotearoa, Wellington, New Zealand",
        "Department of Surgery, The Royal Melbourne Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia"
      ],
      "name": "Swee T Tan"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Economic burden of human papillomavirus-related cancers in New Zealand",
  "uid": "bfa5206a-b94c-577b-9f96-33310c6c6f0a"
}