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The Costs of Treating Breast Cancer in the United Kingdom: Implications for Screening

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 March 2009

Jane L. Wolstenholme
Affiliation:
University of Nottingham
Sarah J. Smith
Affiliation:
University of Nottingham
David K. Whynes
Affiliation:
University of Nottingham

Abstract

Total treatment costs by stage at diagnosis are estimated for a sample of breast cancer patients. At 4 years, stage 4 cancers emerge as being more expensive to treat than those at earlier stages, although this difference fails to achieve significance when expected lifetime costs are considered. The inclusion of treatment cost estimates in a screening model indicates that screening may increase expected treatment costs by a marginal amount, although the model also suggests that the cost effectiveness ratio of breast cancer screening might be better than had originally been thought.

Type
General Essays
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1998

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