Cancer Res Treat.  2015 Oct;47(4):583-590. 10.4143/crt.2014.143.

The Economic Burden of Breast Cancer in Korea from 2007-2010

• Kim YA
• Oh IH
• Yoon SJ
• Kim HJ
• Seo HY
• Kim EJ
• Lee YH
• Jung JH

• KMID: 2403375
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4143/crt.2014.143

Abstract

PURPOSE
This study estimates the socioeconomic cost and burden for breast cancer patients in Korea between 2007 and 2010.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
This study used a prevalence-based approach to estimate the cost of breast cancer. Breast cancer patients were defined as those who were hospitalized or have visited an outpatient clinic during the period from 2007 to 2010. The socioeconomic costs of breast cancer were subdivided into two costs: direct and indirect.
RESULTS
From 2007 to 2010, the prevalence of treated breast cancer increased from 7.9% to 20.4%. The total socioeconomic costs incurred by breast cancer increased by approximately 40.7% from US $668.49 million in 2007 to US $940.75 million in 2010. The direct medical care costs for 2010 were 1.4 times greater (US $399.22 million) than for 2007 (US $278.71 million). The direct non-medical costs rose from US $50.69 million in 2007 to US $75.83 million in 2010, a 49.6% increase. Regarding the economic burden of breast cancer, the total indirect costs were US $339.09 million in 2007 and increased by 37.3% to US $465.70 million in 2010. In the sensitivity analysis, with the annual discount rate for each year ranging from 0%-5%, the costs increased 1.1-1.2 times.
CONCLUSION
Due to the growing incidence of breast cancer, the annual prevalence and related costs are increasing. We must strive to reduce the socioeconomic burden of breast cancer through preventive measures and early screening.

Keyword

Breast neoplasms; Cost of illness

MeSH Terms

Ambulatory Care Facilities
Breast Neoplasms*
Breast*
Cost of Illness
Health Care Costs
Humans
Incidence
Korea*
Mass Screening
Prevalence

Figure

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  Fig. 1. Classification of the costs.

Reference

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