Cost of Serious Infections in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia

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CHE RESEARCH BITES

By Sara Carrillo de Albornoz, Rainier Arnolda, Lisa Higgins, Erica Wood, Zoe McQuilten and Dennis Petrie.

06 March, 2026

We all have immunoglobulin (Ig) in our blood to help us fight infections and keep us well. People with blood cancers often have low Ig levels due to their cancer and anticancer treatments. This puts them at increased risk of serious infections that can lead to hospitalisation, delayed cancer treatment or even death. Ig can be made from donated blood and is commonly given to patients with blood cancer but it is cumbersome for patients to receive hours-long infusions and costly for tax payers.

Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) is a common blood cancer and associated with a substantial economic burden, not only related to anticancer treatment but also to the management of symptoms and adverse events such as infections. This study examined the hospital costs of serious infections and treatments that prevent infections, such as Ig replacement therapy (IgRT).

This Australian study used linked health records of 3700 adults with CLL who were admitted to public hospitals in Victoria between 2016 and 2022. On average, hospital care for a person with CLL cost was AU$1,291 per month. Costs were highest in the month of CLL diagnosis and near the end of life. Almost half of the patients were hospitalised with at least one serious infection during the study period. When a serious infection occurred, hospital costs rose to AU$22,905 in the month of the infection and remained higher for up to six months afterwards, leading to a total cost of AU$27,759.

The costs per month of treating a patient with IgRT were $3288, which would amount to $AU39,456 for a full year of treatment. The cost of ongoing IgRT would be offset if it prevents 1.4 serious infections per patient per year.

The research suggests that serious infections are a major driver of healthcare costs for people with CLL. Given that people with CLL are at high risk of infections and IgRT is a costly preventive treatment, these findings show the importance of identifying patients who are most likely to develop infection, targeting IgRT to those who need it the most.

Carrillo de Albornoz S, Arnolda R, Higgins AM, Wood EM, McQuilten ZK, Petrie D. Cost of Serious Infections in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia. Cancer Med. 2026 Feb;15(2):e71397 https://doi.org/10.1002/cam4.71397

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CHE Research Bites are short, easy-to-understand summaries of our recent academic papers highlighting new evidence and insights on topical issues in the health and healthcare sectors.

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