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Cost of breast cancer in Sweden in 2002

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Abstract

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among Swedish women and an important cause of illness and death. The aim of this study was to estimate the total cost of breast cancer in Sweden in 2002, using a top-down prevalence-based cost-of-illness approach. The total cost of breast cancer in Sweden in 2002 was estimated at 3.0 billion SEK (1 € = 9.4 SEK). The direct costs were estimated at 895 million SEK and constituted 30% of the total cost. Indirect costs were estimated at 2.1 billion SEK and constituted 70% of the total cost. The main cost driver was production losses caused by premature mortality, amounting to 52% of the indirect costs. The reason that indirect costs were the dominant cost is because most newly detected breast cancers occur in patients aged below 65, thus causing significant production losses due to sick leave, early retirement, and premature mortality.

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Notes

  1. This is slightly higher than the prevalence of about 73,000 reported by previously studies. One reason for this higher figure may be that our sample includes some patients who are no longer alive, but who have not been registered as dead. However, the absolute number is small and this does not affect the estimates of the direct or indirect costs.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Medical Management Centre, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden

    Mathias Lidgren

  2. Centre for Health Economics, Stockholm School of Economics, P.O. Box 6501, 113 83, Stockholm, Sweden

    Mathias Lidgren & Bengt Jönsson

  3. Department of Oncology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden

    Nils Wilking

Authors
  1. Mathias Lidgren
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  2. Nils Wilking
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  3. Bengt Jönsson
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Correspondence to Mathias Lidgren.

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Lidgren, M., Wilking, N. & Jönsson, B. Cost of breast cancer in Sweden in 2002. Eur J Health Econ 8, 5–15 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10198-006-0003-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10198-006-0003-8

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