What Is the Most Expensive Anticancer Drug? (As of 2026)

Based on the materials in the notes, there is no basis for designating any specific drug as the "most expensive anticancer drug." Anticancer drug costs are amounts finalized through a hospital estimate depending on cancer type, stage, selected drug, and number of treatment cycles, and there is no official data within this guidance system that ranks individual drug prices.

Key Summary

• There is no basis in the notes to rank which anticancer drug is the "most expensive." Costs are only finalized through a hospital estimate, based on the drug and number of cycles used.
• For targeted therapy and immunotherapy, the drug is selected based on pre-treatment tissue/blood biomarker test results (EGFR, ALK, HER2, PD-L1, MSI, etc.); drugs are never chosen without such testing.
• The remote review (pre-arrival review) fee is KRW 1,000,000. If treatment is contracted after the remote review, this amount is deducted from the treatment cost.
• The estimate breaks down expected costs item by item, separating the first cycle (which includes testing) from subsequent cycles.
• For blood cancers requiring hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, the estimate separates costs by item: testing, chemotherapy, transplantation (conditioning regimen, transplant, sterile room, immunosuppressants, donor testing), drug costs, interpretation, accommodation, and transportation.

Why Can't We Name the Price of a Specific Drug?

• The notes on targeted therapy, immunotherapy, and blood cancer all explain that "total cost varies widely depending on the drug and number of cycles, and is finalized through a hospital estimate," without listing specific drug names or amounts.
• Therefore, there is no official data within this information system to rank the "most expensive drug." Actual costs vary greatly from person to person depending on cancer type, stage, biomarker test results, selected drug, and number of treatment cycles.
• Targeted therapies fall into three forms: oral inhibitor pills, intravenous antibody injections, and antibody-drug conjugates (antibodies linked to chemotherapy agents). The notes explain only that the administration method and hospital visit cycle differ depending on which form is used; there is no price comparison data by form.

How Is the Drug Cost Finalized? (Process)

• Step 1: Pathology, genetic, and biomarker testing (biopsy, immunohistochemistry, NGS, etc.) narrows down drug candidates suited to the treatment.
• Step 2: During remote review, you receive a written opinion comparing three hospitals that match your conditions.
• Step 3: The hospital calculates an estimate reflecting cancer type, stage, selected drug, and expected number of cycles, presenting the first cycle (including testing) and subsequent cycle costs separately.
• Step 4: If treatment is contracted, the KRW 1,000,000 remote review fee is deducted from the treatment cost.
• Step 5: Once treatment begins, efficacy is assessed each cycle (for both targeted and immunotherapy, typically via CT every 2–3 months) to decide whether to continue the drug or switch to another.

FAQ — Which Is More Expensive, Targeted Therapy or Immunotherapy?

The notes do not provide figures directly comparing costs between the two treatment groups. Targeted therapy is drug treatment aimed at specific proteins or gene mutations that cancer cells use to grow, while immunotherapy helps immune cells attack cancer again by blocking signals such as PD-1/PD-L1. For both, it is commonly noted that total cost varies greatly depending on the drug and number of cycles, and is only finalized through a hospital estimate.

FAQ — Is Blood Cancer Treatment (CAR-T, Transplant) the Most Expensive?

• The blood cancer notes explain that estimates are provided broken down by item—chemotherapy, transplantation (conditioning regimen, transplant, sterile room, immunosuppressants, donor testing), drug costs, interpretation, accommodation, and transportation—but do not present specific amounts or a price ranking against other treatment groups.
• For allogeneic transplants, the stay is often set at around 100 days due to the need to monitor for graft-versus-host disease and infection. Blood cancer treatment involves a longer stay, so accommodation and living costs for family are planned on a weekly basis—but the notes provide no basis for comparing whether this results in a higher total cost than other treatments.

Sources and Notes

• This article was written based on notes on targeted therapy, immunotherapy, side effects of immunotherapy/targeted therapy, blood cancer, and breast cancer (National Cancer Center Korea, NCCN Patient Guidelines, National Cancer Registration Statistics 2019–2023, SEER).
• This content is intended to provide general medical information, and actual diagnosis, treatment methods, and outcomes may vary depending on individual conditions. Accurate diagnosis and treatment should always be determined through consultation with medical staff.