Abstract
Purpose: In Korea, the national health insurance system covers the entire population. Patients with a lower socioeconomic status are supported by the medical aid system. In this study, we examined the association of the medical insurance status of breast cancer patients with their survival outcomes after mastectomy. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 117 patients who underwent surgical treatment for breast cancer at the Seoul Medical Center between 1999 and 2012. Patients were stratified into two groups based on their insurance status: the national health insurance registered group (n=85). And the medical aid covered group (n=32). The survival rate was calculated by using the KaplanMeier method. Results: The overall 5-year survival rate was 80.0% in the national health insurance group and 73.8% in the medical aid covered group (p=0.039). Multivariate analysis determined that age (p=0.038) and the TNM stage (p=0.035) were independent prognostic factors. The medical insurance status was not a statistically significant prognostic factor for breast cancer patients (p=0.079). Conclusion: The medical insurance status reflects the socioeconomic status of a patient, and thus, it can influence the overall survival of breast cancer patients.
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