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The continuum of breast cancer care and outcomes in the U.S. Military Health System: an analysis by benefit type and care source

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Abstract

Purpose

This study investigates transition rates between breast cancer diagnosis, recurrence, and death by insurance benefit type and care source in U.S. Military Health System (MHS).

Methods

The MHS data repository and central cancer registry linked data were used to identify women aged 40–64 with histologically confirmed breast cancer between 2003 and 2007. Three-state continuous time Markov models were used to estimate transition rates and transition rate ratios (TRRs) by TRICARE benefit type (Prime or non-Prime) and care source (direct, purchased, or both), adjusted for demographic, tumor, and treatment variables.

Results

Analyses included 2668 women with transitions from diagnosis to recurrence (n = 832), recurrence to death (n = 79), and diagnosis to death without recurrence (n = 91). Compared to women with Prime within each care source, women with non-Prime using both care sources had higher transition rates (TRR 1.47, 95% CI 1.03, 2.10). Compared to those using direct care within each benefit type, women utilizing both care sources with non-Prime had higher transition rates (TRR 1.86, 95% CI 1.11, 3.13), while women with Prime utilizing purchased care had lower transition rates (TRR 0.82, 95% CI 0.68, 0.98).

Conclusions

In the MHS, women with non-Prime benefit plans compared to Prime had higher transition rates along the breast cancer continuum among both care source users. Purchased care users had lower transition rates than direct care users among Prime beneficiaries.

Implications for Cancer Survivors

Benefit plan and care source may be associated with breast cancer progression. Further research is needed to demonstrate differences in survivorship.

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Acknowledgements

This project was supported by the John P. Murtha Cancer Center, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences and Walter Reed National Military Medical Center under the auspices of the Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine. The original data linkage was supported by the former United States Military Cancer Institute and Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute. The authors thank the following institutes for their contributions to the original data linkage project: ICF Macro, Kennel and Associates, Inc., the Defense Health Agency, the Joint Pathology Center and former Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, and the National Cancer Institute.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. John P. Murtha Cancer Center, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences and Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, 11300 Rockville Pike, Suite 1120, Rockville, MD, 20852, USA

    Yvonne L. Eaglehouse, Stephanie Shao, Derek Brown, Janna Manjelievskaia, Craig D. Shriver & Kangmin Zhu

  2. Department of Surgery, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, USA

    Yvonne L. Eaglehouse & Craig D. Shriver

  3. University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA

    Wenyaw Chan

  4. Department of Preventive Medicine and Biostatistics, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, USA

    Kangmin Zhu

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  1. Yvonne L. Eaglehouse
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  2. Stephanie Shao
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Correspondence to Kangmin Zhu.

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The contents of this publication are the sole responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views, assertions, opinions, or policies of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS), the Department of Defense (DoD), or the Departments of the Army, Navy, or Air Force. Mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.

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Eaglehouse, Y.L., Shao, S., Chan, W. et al. The continuum of breast cancer care and outcomes in the U.S. Military Health System: an analysis by benefit type and care source. J Cancer Surviv 12, 407–416 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11764-018-0680-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11764-018-0680-1

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