Colorectal, lung, and breast cancer care during the three years following the diagnosis: a population-based study

We evaluated a number of basic parameters of care during hospitalization that contribute to the total cost of therapy during the 3 years after the first diagnosis of cancer.

The study examined a sample of cases of cancer of the colon-rectum (164 cases), lung (160 cases) and breast (144 cases) diagnosed in 1987, taken from the data base of the Tuscany Cancer Registry. All the information collected by the Registry was examined and the sample was further validated by reviewing original clinical records. The agreement between the two sources was very high, confirming the adequacy of the Registry as a source of information. The parameters evaluated for each patient were the number of cytohistologic examinations, surgery, hospital admissions and days spent in hospital during the 3 follow-up years.

The average number of admittances in 3 years was 1.93 for colorectal, 3.39 for lung and 2.15 for breast cancer. The mean number of days spent in hospital in the 3 follow-up years was 39.9 for colorectal, 50.1 for lung and 21.1 for breast cancer. The parameters differed among subjects still alive, those deceased and those in various stages of the illness.

The costs of the time spent in hospital, based on the number of days during the first 3 years of the illness, were higher in cases of lung cancer than of the other sites, and more so for patients diagnosed in an advanced phase of the disease.