Context: Breast cancer is one of the major causes of premature death for women. Its cost management is important for both the national health insurance and the individual health care providers.
Objective: The objective of this study was to assess the global medical cost of breast cancer from diagnosis to follow up in one French medical centre: centre René-Huguenin, Saint-Cloud (92).
Method: Duration of medical activities and other medical resources utilisations were collected from a retrospective cohort of 120 patients followed from January 1995 to February 2000. Unit costs were obtained from cost accounts of the Centre.
Results: The mean medical cost per patient was FF 66,067 [60,318-7,815] (USD $ 10,744 [9,809-11,679]). The mean cost varied from FF 41,875 (UDS $ 6,810) to FF 81,020 (UDS $ 13,175) depending on choice of type of therapy. The initial treatment phase was the most expensive, costing FF 48,397 [46,176-50,617] (USD $ 7,870 [7,509-8,231]) which represented 73.3% of the global cost.
Conclusion: This study has provided an estimate of the real global cost of managing patients with breast cancer in a single French Comprehensive Cancer Centre (CLCC). The study method used is readily transposable to other treatment contexts and to other types of cancer.