Abstract
This retrospective incidence-based cost-of-illness analysis aims to quantify the costs associated with female breast cancer in Flanders for the year prior to diagnosis and for each of the 5 years following diagnosis. A bottom-up analysis from the societal perspective included direct health care costs and indirect costs of productivity loss due to morbidity and premature mortality. A case-control study design compared total costs of breast cancer patients with costs of an equivalent standardised population with a view to calculating the additional costs that can be attributed to breast cancer. Total average costs of breast cancer amounted to 107,456 € per patient over 6 years. Total costs consisted of productivity loss costs (89% of costs) and health care costs (11% of costs). Health care costs did not vary with age at diagnosis. Health care costs of breast cancer patients converged with those of the general population at 5 years following diagnosis. Patients with advanced breast cancer stadia had higher health care costs. Cost estimates provided by this analysis can be used to determine priorities for, and inform, future research on breast cancer. In particular, attention needs to be focussed on decreasing productivity loss from breast cancer.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
World Health Organization: The world health report 2004—changing history. World Health Organization, Geneva (2004)
Ravdin, P.M., Cronin, K.A., Howlader, N., Berg, C.D.: The decrease in breast-cancer incidence in 2003 in the United States. N. Engl. J. Med. 356, 1670–1674 (2007)
Smigal, C., Jemal, A., Ward, E., Cokkinides, V., Smith, R., Howe, H.L., Thun, M.: Trends in breast cancer by race and ethnicity: update 2006. CA Cancer J. Clin. 56, 168–183 (2006)
Olopade, O.I., Grushko, T.A., Nanda, R., Huo, D.: Advances in breast cancer: pathways to personalized medicine. Clin. Cancer Res. 14, 7988–7999 (2008)
Belgian Cancer Registry: Jaarlijkse Statistieken (Annual Statistics). Belgian Cancer Registry, Brussels (2008)
Van Eycken, E., De Wever, N.: Cancer incidence and survival in Flanders, 2000–2001. Flemish Cancer Registry Network, Brussels (2006)
Remák, E., Brazil, L.: Cost of managing women presenting with stage IV breast cancer in the United Kingdom. Br. J. Cancer 91, 77–83 (2004)
Barron, J.J., Quimbo, R., Nikam, P.T., Amonkar, M.M.: Assessing the economic burden of breast cancer in a US managed care population. Breast Cancer Res. Treat. 109, 367–377 (2008)
Drolet, M., Maunsell, E., Mondor, M., Brisson, C., Brisson, J., Mâsse, B., Deschênes, L.: Work absence after breast cancer diagnosis: a population-based study. CMAJ 173, 765–771 (2005)
Lauzier, S., Maunsell, E., Drolet, M., Coyle, D., Hébert-Croteau, N., Brisson, J., Mâsse, B., Abdous, B., Robidoux, A., Robert, J.: Wage losses in the year after breast cancer: extent and determinants among Canadian women. J. Natl. Cancer Inst. 100, 321–332 (2008)
Environmental Protection Agency: The cost of illness handbook. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington DC (2006)
McGuire, A., Irwin, D.E., Fenn, P., Gray, A., Anderson, P., Lovering, A., MacGowan, A.: The excess cost of acute exacerbations of chronic bronchitis in patients aged 45 and older in England and Wales. Value Health 4, 370–375 (2001)
World Health Organization: International classification of diseases for oncology, 3rd Edn (ICD-O-3). World Health Organization, Geneva (2000)
Sobin, L.H., Wittekind, C.: TNM Classification of malignant tumours. Wiley, Hoboken, New Jersey (2002)
Glorieux, I., Minnen, J., Van Thielen, L.: Arbeidsmarktconclusies uit het Tijdsbestedingsonderzoek 1988–1999 (Labour Market Conclusions from the Time Use Research 1988–1999). Free University of Brussels, Brussels (2003)
Belgian Social Security Service: Gemiddeld Brutojaarloon in een Voltijdsequivalente Job naar Leeftijd in België, 1995 en 2001 (Average Gross Annual Wage in Full-Time Equivalent Job in Belgium according to Age, 1995 and 2001). Belgian Social Security Service, Brussels (2006)
Federal Plan Bureau: Loonmassa in de Marktsector, Evolutie en Determinanten (Wages in the Market Sector, Evolution and Determinants). Federal Plan Bureau, Brussels (2006)
Federal Plan Bureau: De Kosten van een Storing in de Stroomvoorziening (The Costs of a Disturbance in the Power Supply). Federal Plan Bureau, Brussels (2004)
Hodgson, T.A., Meiners, M.R.: Cost-of-illness methodology: a guide to assessment practices and procedures. Milbank Q. 60, 429–491 (1982)
Dahlberg, L., Lundkvist, J., Lindman, H.: Health care costs for treatment of disseminated breast cancer. Eur. J. Cancer 45, 1987–1991 (2009)
Gordon, L., Scuffham, P., Hayes, S., Newman, B.: Exploring the economic impact of breast cancers during the 18 months following diagnosis. Psychooncology 16, 1130–1139 (2007)
Lidgren, M., Wilking, N., Jönsson, B.: Cost of breast cancer in Sweden in 2002. Eur. J. Health Econ. 8, 5–15 (2007)
Van de Sande, S., De Wachter, D., Swartenbroeckx, N., Peers, J., Debruyne, H., Moldenaers, I., Lejeune, B., Van Damme, V., Ramaekers, D., Leys, M.: Inventaris van Databanken Gezondheidszorg (Inventory of Health Care Databases). Federal Health Care Knowledge Centre, Brussels (2006)
Rao, S., Kubisiak, J., Gilden, D.: Cost of illness associated with metastatic breast cancer. Breast Cancer Res. Treat. 83, 25–32 (2004)
Acknowledgments
This study was supported by a grant from the department Environment, Nature and Energy of the Flemish Community (grant no DTG/OL200400077/5185/M&G). The sponsor commissioned, financed and steered the study, without any responsibility for the scientific contents.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Broekx, S., Hond, E.D., Torfs, R. et al. The costs of breast cancer prior to and following diagnosis. Eur J Health Econ 12, 311–317 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10198-010-0237-3
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10198-010-0237-3