A Retrospective Analysis of Health Care Costs for Bone Fractures in Women with Early-stage Breast Carcinoma

Background: In this retrospective data base study, the authors sought to estimate direct costs for bone fractures in women age > or =65 years with early-stage breast carcinoma and to compare those costs with treatment costs for bone fractures in older women without early-stage breast carcinoma.

Methods: Direct costs for bone fractures in patients with early-stage breast carcinoma, which consist of excess treatment costs for bone fracture and excess costs of long-term care for bone fracture, were evaluated by using the 1997-1998 Standard Analytical File. The statistical significance of the difference in inpatient costs, medical treatment costs, and long-term care admission rates were determined with the t test and the Fisher chi-square test, respectively.

Results: For older women with early-stage breast carcinoma, the direct costs for bone fracture were estimated at $45,579, and 57% of those costs came from treating the bone fracture (32% came from inpatient hospital costs, and 25% came from noninpatient hospital costs), 25% came from other excess treatment costs, and 18% came from excess long-term care costs. The women who had early-stage breast carcinoma and sustained bone fracture did not differ significantly from the women without early-stage breast carcinoma who sustained a bone fracture.

Conclusions: Bone fracture was associated with high direct costs in older women with early-stage breast carcinoma. Additional research should include appropriate, incidence-based studies to investigate the potential benefit of an intervention for preventing bone fracture in this increasingly large patient population.