Ekwueme DU, et al. – Based on the type of insurance and stage at diagnosis, percentage of breast cancer cases, total number of incident cases, and total annual medical care costs ascribed to alcohol consumption were estimated among insured younger women (aged 18–44 years). Estimated annual costs of alcohol–attributable breast cancer were nearly $150 million. The current findings could be used to support evidence–based interventions to attenuate alcohol consumption in younger women.

Methods

• Researchers estimated alcohol-attributable fraction of breast cancer cases among younger women by insurance type; total number of breast cancer incident cases attributable to alcohol consumption by stage at diagnosis and insurance type among younger women; and total annual medical care costs of treating breast cancer incident cases attributable to alcohol consumption among younger women, using the 2012–2013 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, cancer incidence data from two national registry programs, and published relative risk measures.
• They conducted analyses in 2016; costs were expressed in 2014 U.S. dollars.

Results

• Findings demonstrated that among younger women enrolled in Medicaid, private insurance, and both groups, 8.7% (95% CI=7.4%, 10.0%), 13.8% (95% CI=13.3%, 14.4%), and 12.3% (95% CI=11.4%, 13.1%) of all breast cancer cases, respectively, were attributable to alcohol consumption.
• Researchers observed that localized stage was the largest proportion of estimated attributable incident cases.
• They found that the estimated total number of breast cancer incident alcohol-attributable cases was 1,636 (95% CI=1,570, 1,703) and accounted for estimated total annual medical care costs of $148.4 million (95% CI=$140.6 million, $156.1 million).