Studies which compare bone marrow transplantation with conventional chemotherapy are few and contradictory, therefore more studies are needed. A great need also exists for studies which compare the results from autologous bone marrow transplantation with allogenic. Many such comparative studies are under way in various places, for example, through the so called Mid-Sweden Leukemia Group. It is difficult to perform cost studies of bone marrow transplantation since the number of patients is small and the individual differences in treatment and disease are great. The literature contains very few studies addressing the cost of bone marrow transplantation.
More recent analyses suggest somewhat lower costs.
The calculations were limited to include only direct costs for patients with leukemia. Several typical cases were selected within this group. The analysis includes both children and adults who underwent allogenic and autologous bone marrow transplantation, ie, six children and 12 adults. The costs were also compared with conventional chemotherapy. All future costs have been discounted to obtain a comparative present value.