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A SEER-Medicare population-based study of lymphedema-related claims incidence following breast cancer in men

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Abstract

Each year there are an estimated 200,000 new breast cancer cases diagnosed in the United States; of these, 1% of cases are in men. Lymphedema can be a devastating complication from breast cancer and its treatment. Currently, almost all lymphedema-related research is based on women and extrapolated to men. We conducted the first population-based study of men with incident breast cancer of any stage, diagnosed from 1998 to 2005, who were 65 years and older in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER)-Medicare linked database. We utilized claims related to lymphedema and lymphedema treatment in our cohort. We defined ‘lymphedema-specific’ claims to contain the word ‘lymphedema’ in the Medicare claim description; similarly, ‘lymphedema-related’ claims were defined as treatments reimbursed for lymphedema but not necessarily containing the word ‘lymphedema’ in the Medicare claim description. We identified 628 men with incident breast cancer from 1998 to 2005 who were 65 years and older. The cumulative incidence, censored for deaths, of lymphedema-specific claims at 2, 3, 4, and 5 years was 8.0, 9.2, 10.5, and 10.5%, respectively. The median follow-up was 3.4 years and for those without any event was 4.7 years. The cumulative incidence, censored for deaths, of lymphedema-related claims at 2, 3, 4, and 5 years was 26.9, 32.2, 35.4, and 39.8%. Rates for men were similar to analogous rates for women. Lymphedema is a common complication affecting men with breast cancer as well as women and appropriate treatment and rehabilitation strategies need to be implemented for both genders.

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Fig. 1

Abbreviations

SEER:

Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results

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Acknowledgments

This study used the linked SEER-Medicare database. The interpretation and reporting of these data are the sole responsibility of the authors. The authors acknowledge the efforts of the Applied Research Program, NCI; the Office of Research, Development and Information, CMS; Information Management Services (IMS), Inc.; and the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program tumor registries in the creation of the SEER-Medicare database.

Conflicts of interest

None.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, 307 East 63rd Street, New York, NY, 10065, USA

    Anne S. Reiner & Katherine S. Panageas

  2. Cancer Care Ontario, 505 University Avenue, 17th Floor, Toronto, ON, M5G 1X3, USA

    Lindsay M. Jacks

  3. Department of Surgery, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, Evelyn H. Lauder Breast Center, 300 E 66th Street, 8th Floor, New York, NY, 10065, USA

    Kimberly J. Van Zee

Authors
  1. Anne S. Reiner
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  2. Lindsay M. Jacks
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  3. Kimberly J. Van Zee
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  4. Katherine S. Panageas
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Anne S. Reiner.

Additional information

Manuscript collaboration was done at Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.

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Reiner, A.S., Jacks, L.M., Van Zee, K.J. et al. A SEER-Medicare population-based study of lymphedema-related claims incidence following breast cancer in men. Breast Cancer Res Treat 130, 301–306 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10549-011-1649-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10549-011-1649-1

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