Skip Navigation

JNCI Journal of the National Cancer Institute 1999 91(8):702-708; doi:10.1093/jnci/91.8.702
© 1999 by Oxford University Press
This Article
Right arrow Full Text Freely available
Right arrow FREE Full Text (PDF) Freely available
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow Request Permissions
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Secker-Walker, R. H.
Right arrow Articles by Detsky, A. S.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Secker-Walker, R. H.
Right arrow Articles by Detsky, A. S.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Vol. 91, No. 8, 702-708, April 21, 1999
© 1999 Oxford University Press

REPORTS

Screening for Breast Cancer: Time, Travel, and Out-of-Pocket Expenses

Roger H. Secker-Walker, Pamela M. Vacek, Gloria J. Hooper, Dennis A. Plante, Allan S. Detsky

Affiliations of authors: R. H. Secker-Walker, G. J. Hooper (Office of Health Promotion Research), P. M. Vacek (Biometry Facility), D. A. Plante (Department of Medicine), University of Vermont, Burlington; A. S. Detsky, Department of Medicine, Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada.

Correspondence to: Roger H. Secker-Walker, M.D., 1 South Prospect St., Burlington, VT 05401-3444 (e-mail: rseckerw{at}zoo.uvm.edu).

BACKGROUND: We estimated the personal costs to women found to have a breast problem (either breast cancer or benign breast disease) in terms of time spent, miles traveled, and cash payments made for detection, diagnosis, initial treatment, and follow-up. METHODS: We analyzed data from personal interviews with 465 women from four communities in Florida. These women were randomly selected from those with a recent breast biopsy (within 6-8 months) that indicated either breast cancer (208 women) or benign breast disease (257 women). One community was the site of a multifaceted intervention to promote breast screening, and the other three communities were comparison sites for evaluation of that intervention. All P values are two-sided. RESULTS: In comparison with time spent and travel distance for women with benign breast disease (13 hours away from home and 56 miles traveled), time spent and travel distance were statistically significantly higher (P<.001) for treatment and follow-up of women with breast cancer (89 hours and 369 miles). Personal financial costs for treatment of women with breast cancer were also statistically significantly higher (breast cancer = $604; benign breast disease = $76; P <.001) but were statistically significantly lower for detection and diagnosis (breast cancer = $170; benign breast disease = $310; P<.001). Among women with breast cancer, time spent for treatment was statistically significantly lower (P = .013) when their breast cancer was detected by screening (68.9 hours) than when it was detected because of symptoms (84.2 hours). Personal cash payments for detection, diagnosis, and treatment were statistically significantly lower among women whose breast problems were detected by screening than among women whose breast problems were detected because of symptoms (screening detected = $453; symptom detected = $749; P = .045). CONCLUSION: There are substantial personal costs for women who are found to have a breast problem, whether the costs are associated with problems identified through screening or because of symptoms.


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Med Decis MakingHome page
D. E. Jonas, L. B. Russell, R. S. Sandler, J. Chou, and M. Pignone
Value of Patient Time Invested in the Colonoscopy Screening Process: Time Requirements for Colonoscopy Study
Med Decis Making, January 1, 2008; 28(1): 56 - 65.
[Abstract] [PDF]

Home page
 ANN INTERN MEDHome page
K. Anderson, J. S. Jacobson, D. F. Heitjan, J. G. Zivin, D. Hershman, A. I. Neugut, and V. R. Grann
Cost-effectiveness of preventive strategies for women with a BRCA1 or a BRCA2 mutation.
Ann Intern Med, March 21, 2006; 144(6): 397 - 406.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J Natl Cancer Inst MonogrHome page
J. Mandelblatt, C. Armetta, K. R. Yabroff, W. Liang, and W. Lawrence
Descriptive Review of the Literature on Breast Cancer Outcomes: 1990 Through 2000
J Natl Cancer Inst Monographs, October 1, 2004; 2004(33): 8 - 44.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 JCOHome page
J. S. Mandelblatt, C. B. Schechter, K. R. Yabroff, W. Lawrence, J. Dignam, P. Muennig, Y. Chavez, J. Cullen, and M. Fahs
Benefits and Costs of Interventions to Improve Breast Cancer Outcomes in African American Women
J. Clin. Oncol., July 1, 2004; 22(13): 2554 - 2566.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 JCOHome page
D. Hershman, V. Sundararajan, J. S. Jacobson, D. F. Heitjan, A. I. Neugut, and V. R. Grann
Outcomes of Tamoxifen Chemoprevention for Breast Cancer in Very High-Risk Women: A Cost-Effectiveness Analysis
J. Clin. Oncol., January 1, 2002; 20(1): 9 - 16.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Disclaimer: Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.