Real-world patterns of healthcare use, costs, and survival in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma: a nationwide Swedish register study

OBJECTIVES: To describe healthcare resource utilization (HCRU), direct costs, and survival of DLBCL patients in Sweden. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study followed adult patients with DLBCL from 2015 to 2023 using Swedish national registers. Time in specialty care was calculated as days per-person-year (PPY). Nordic diagnosis-related-group weights were used to estimate costs. RESULTS: 7,503 patients were diagnosed with DLBCL. Median age was 73.0 years; 56.9% male and 55.0% had ≥ 1 comorbidity. On average, patients spent 17.6 days (4.8% annually) PPY in care, with average costs of €15,417 PPY. HCRU was highest in the first and second year with 41.7 days (11.4%) and 12.6 days (3.5%) in care, respectively. Average time in care declined from 13.7 days (3.8%) in 2015 to 11.9 days (3.3%) in 2019, then stabilized. Overall survival was 76.5% (95%CI: 75.5-77.4) and 68.9% (95%CI: 67.9-70.0) at 1 and 2 years from diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS: DLBCL patients spent considerable time in specialist care, especially in the first two years post-diagnosis. Care use and costs remained stable over the period. This study provides the first population-level estimates of HCRU and direct costs for DLBCL in Sweden, offering valuable context for current management and future integration of evolving treatment strategies.