A retrospective analysis of health care costs for bone fractures in women with early-stage breast carcinoma.
BACKGROUND
In this retrospective data base study, the authors sought to estimate direct costs for bone fractures in women age > or =65 years with early-stage breast carcinoma and to compare those costs with treatment costs for bone fractures in older women without early-stage breast carcinoma.


METHODS
Direct costs for bone fractures in patients with early-stage breast carcinoma, which consist of excess treatment costs for bone fracture and excess costs of long-term care for bone fracture, were evaluated by using the 1997-1998 Standard Analytical File. The statistical significance of the difference in inpatient costs, medical treatment costs, and long-term care admission rates were determined with the t test and the Fisher chi-square test, respectively.


RESULTS
For older women with early-stage breast carcinoma, the direct costs for bone fracture were estimated at $45,579, and 57% of those costs came from treating the bone fracture (32% came from inpatient hospital costs, and 25% came from noninpatient hospital costs), 25% came from other excess treatment costs, and 18% came from excess long-term care costs. The women who had early-stage breast carcinoma and sustained bone fracture did not differ significantly from the women without early-stage breast carcinoma who sustained a bone fracture.


CONCLUSIONS
Bone fracture was associated with high direct costs in older women with early-stage breast carcinoma. Additional research should include appropriate, incidence-based studies to investigate the potential benefit of an intervention for preventing bone fracture in this increasingly large patient population.
Zhou
Zhiyuang
Z
Global Outcomes Research, Pharmacia Corporation, Bridgewater, New Jersey, USA.
Redaelli
Alberto
A
Johnell
Olof
O
Willke
Richard J
RJ
Massimini
Giorgio
G
D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001859:Bone Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000556:secondary* / Q000628:therapy; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D005260:Female; D005592:Fracture Fixation / Q000191:economics* / Q000379:methods; D017102:Fracture Healing / Q000502:physiology; D005598:Fractures, Spontaneous / Q000191:economics* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery; D017048:Health Care Costs; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008134:Long-Term Care / Q000191:economics; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011336:Probability; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies