title: Expenditure audit of women with breast cancer in a tertiary care hospital of Delhi.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Breast cancer is associated with substantial medical and economic burden. This study assisted the expenditure incurred by the subjects on diagnosis and treatment till the period of follow-up.
  
  
  METHODS
  This is a prospective study; a case series of patients studied at the time of diagnosis and followed after 6 months. The study was conducted at one of Hospitals in India, from January 2006 to December 2007. One hundred and seventy-two women with new primary breast cancer were included in the study. During the study period 69 subjects were lost to follow-up. The comparative analysis was done for 103 subjects. Cost implications of breast cancer include direct medical costs and indirect costs. Questionnaire for the data collection was used. Descriptive statistics and correlation analysis were used.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The median total direct and indirect expenditure was Rs. 12,100 (US$ 1 = Rs 50) with the range of Rs. 0-54000. The largest component of total direct medical costs was in stage I (median Rs. 6530), total indirect costs (median Rs. 7500), and median total cost was Rs. 17,600. The total expenditures (median Rs. 13,100) were the highest in younger age group (<40). The median direct expenditure was higher in the subjects who visited private setup before coming to Hospital (Rs. 8250) than those who came directly (Rs. 4500).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Cost of treatment for breast cancer depends on many factors, including the stages of the cancer, the woman's age, perhaps the costs of treatment, private hospital and insurance.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran. spakseresht@yahoo.com
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pakseresht
authors.forename: G K
authors.initials: GK
authors.lastname: Ingle
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Garg
authors.forename: M M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Singh
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000191:economics* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000191:economics* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D054869:Clinical Audit; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005102:Health Expenditures / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006761:Hospitals; D006801:Humans; D007194:India; D007341:Insurance; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011446:Prospective Studies; D055512:Tertiary Prevention