OBJECTIVES : Numerous studies about hospital utilization and costs in female breast cancer (BC) patients have been published. However, the evidence focusing on male BC is scarce, and it is necessary due to the different clinical characteristics between female and male BC. The objective of this study is to assess hospital utilization and costs associated with male BC in the U.S.

METHODS : We analyzed the 2012-2016 Health Care Utilization Project-National Inpatient Sample of 448 male BC patients, who were diagnosed with BC based on primary International Classification of Disease (ICD)-9/10-CM codes. The BC-related variables included the history of breast conservatory and mastectomy surgery, and metastatic status. The outcome variables were a length of stay (LoS) and hospitalization costs. A negative binomial regression and a generalized linear model with log-link and gamma distribution adjusted for socio-demographics and comorbidities were conducted to estimate LoS and hospitalization costs by BC-related characteristics.

RESULTS : On average, male BC patients stayed for 2.4 days [95% confidence interval (CI): 2.12-2.70] and expended $9,097 [95% CI: $8,437-9,757] per hospital visit. Patients who underwent surgery procedures had significantly shorter stays (1.90 days [95% CI: 1.58-2.24]) compared to the no-surgery group (3.35 days [95% CI: 2.46-4.24]). However, hospitalization costs were not significantly different between the surgery ($8,898 [95% CI: 7,929-9,868]) and the no-surgery group ($8,872 [95% CI: 6,983-10,605]). Those with metastatic status had greater LoS (5.28 days [95% CI: 4.04-6.52] vs. 3.30 days [95% CI: 2.38-4.20]) and hospitalization costs ($11,366 [95% CI: 8,910-13,822] vs. $8,805 [95% CI: 6,963-10,647]) than those without.

CONCLUSIONS : This study revealed that the LoS and hospitalization costs of male BC were associated with the surgery and metastatic status. The information can be used to assess the healthcare resources needed to treat male BC.