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The economic burden of breast cancer in California

  • Epidemiology
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Abstract

This paper estimates the healthcare costs and the value of lost productivity from premature deaths for California women with breast cancer in 2001, with an updated estimate for 2008. Multiple secondary data sources were used to estimate the healthcare cost of breast cancer. Mortality costs were estimated as the product of the number of deaths and the expected value of a woman’s future earnings. The total economic cost of breast cancer in California was $1.43 billion in 2001, or $1.91 billion in 2008 dollars. Breast cancer is costly both in terms of healthcare dollars and the value of lost lives. Regular screening and access to treatment for all women will allow the disease to be diagnosed earlier, the prognosis improved, and the economic burden reduced.

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported by funds from the California Breast Cancer Research Program of the University of California, Grant Number 9 PB-0025. We thank Dorothy Rice, Jill Israel, Sue Dibble, and Walter Price for their advice and assistance during the conduct of this research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Health & Aging, School of Nursing, University of California at San Francisco, 3333 California Street, Suite 340, San Francisco, CA, 94118, USA

    Wendy Max, Hai-Yen Sung & Brad Stark

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  1. Wendy Max
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  2. Hai-Yen Sung
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  3. Brad Stark
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Correspondence to Wendy Max.

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Max, W., Sung, HY. & Stark, B. The economic burden of breast cancer in California. Breast Cancer Res Treat 116, 201–207 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10549-008-0149-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10549-008-0149-4

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