The economic burden of breast cancer in California

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.