Background. Higher possibilities of chemotherapy for advanced patients, made the selections of best studies necessary. A practical approach based on efficacy and cost-effectiveness is shown.
Methods. Variables of efficacy, quality of life and type of study provide its classification. Differential costs between schemes, per months of survival and per one more patient alive one more year are used for the cost-effectiveness.
Results. Five schemes broadly used in ovary, breast, lung, colon and brain tumours are evaluated. All of them produce a moderate improvement in outcomes and an increase in costs: per months of increment in median of survival require between 1,500 and 25,500 euros extra.
Conclusion. This approach is useful for making decision process.