The costs of breast cancer in a Mexican public health institution

Jacobo Alejandro Gómez-Rico1, Marina Altagracia-Martínez1, Jaime Kravzov-Jinich1, Rosario Cárdenas-Elizalde1, Consuelo Rubio-Poo21Universidad Autónoma Metropolitano–Xochimilco (UAM-X), Departments: Biological Systems and Healthcare, Biological and Health Sciences Division (DCBS); 2Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Faculty of Professional Studies-Zaragoza (FES-Zaragoza)Abstract: Breast cancer (BC) is the second leading cause of death as a result of neoplasia in Mexico. This study aimed to identify the direct and indirect costs of treating female outpatients diagnosed with BC at a Mexican public hospital. A cross-sectional, observational, analytical study was conducted. A total of 506 medical records were analyzed and 102 were included in the cost analysis. The micro-costing process was used to estimate treatment costs. A 17-item questionnaire was used to obtain information on direct and indirect costs. Of the 102 women with BC included in the study, 92.2% (94) were at Stage II, and only 7.8% at Stage I. Total direct costs over six months for the 82 women who had modified radical mastectomy (MRM) surgury were US$733,821.15. Total direct costs for the 15 patients with conservative surgery (CS) were US$138,190.39. We found that the total economic burden in the study population was much higher for patients with MRM than for patients with CS.Keywords: breast cancer, Mexican women, direct and indirect costs