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Racial differences in the cost of treating men with early-stage prostate cancer
J Brandeis1, C L Pashos, J M Henning
1Department of Urology, University of California, Los Angeles 90095-1738, USA.
Objective:
To compare the cost and resource utilization in the evaluation, treatment, and 6-month follow-up of African-American and White men undergoing either external beam radiation therapy (XRT) or radical prostatectomy (RP) for early-stage prostate cancer.
Design:
Retrospective analysis of cost and resource utilization data from encrypted patient-specific hospital inpatient, hospital outpatient, and physician/supplier data files.
Setting:
National Medicare claims data from 1993 through 1996.
Participants:
A random 5% national sample of Medicare beneficiaries from the Health Care Financing Administration Public Use Files for 1993 through 1996.
Measurements:
Inpatient, outpatient, and physician/supplier Medicare costs.
Results:
African-American men undergoing RP for early-stage prostate cancer had significantly higher costs ($21,878 vs $18,786, P < .0001) than did White men. Most of the difference occurred in the inpatient setting. African-American men undergoing XRT had significantly greater costs ($18,131 vs $15,734, P < .0001) than did White men. Most of this difference was generated by longer duration of XRT treatments.
Conclusions:
In early-stage prostate cancer, charges for RP and XRT in African-American men are higher when compared with those for White men.