A recent study found that cancer-related hospitalizations increased 27.3% between 2008 and 2019, resulting in an increased total hospitalization cost of $20.9 billion.
The study, published April 18 in Nature Scientific Reports, analyzed National Inpatient Sample data between 2008 and 2019. They identified 371 million hospitalizations, 56 million of which were cancer-related.
Here are five findings:
1. The total number of cancer-related hospitalizations increased 27.3%, from 12,963 to 16,500 per 100,000 hospitalizations, between 2008 and 2019.
2. The most common cancer types were breast cancer (11.9%), secondary malignancies (11.2%), and prostate cancer (10.3%).
3. The most common reasons for a cancer-related hospitalization were septicemia (4.8%), pneumonia (4.7%), and complications of surgical procedures or medical care (3.1%).
4. Although hospitalizations increased, mortality decreased by 21.6% and hospital length of stay decreased by 8.6%.
5. Total hospitalization costs increased 37.7% from $55.5 billion in 2008 to $76.4 billion in 2019.
