FROM DERMATOLOGIC SURGERY
Almost 4% of the 5.9 million veterans treated by the Veterans Health Administration in 2012 had a diagnosis of keratinocyte carcinoma (KC) or actinic keratosis (AK), and their treatment cost $356 million, according to an analysis of VHA-provided or -contracted outpatient encounters.
Treatment costs per patient for KCs, also known as nonmelanoma skin cancers, were $1,456 for basal cell carcinoma (BCC), $1,326 for squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), $1,016 for unspecified, nongenital invasive KCs, $971 for squamous cell carcinoma in situ, and $906 for genital skin cancer (not shown on graph), reported Jean Yoon, PhD, of Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System, Menlo Park, Calif., and her associates (Dermatol Surg. 2016;42:1041-7).
The VHA’s cost per patient for AK was relatively low – $965 per patient in 2012 – but the number of patients – 197,041 – was more than four times higher than any of the KCs. There were 49,229 veterans with BCC, 26,310 veterans with SCC, 8,050 veterans with unspecified KC, 5,876 veterans with SCC in situ, and 512 veterans with genital skin cancer, according to the analysis of administrative data on outpatient care and prescription drugs provided or paid by the VHA in fiscal year 2012. The total number of patients was 227,601, as some patients had more than one of the study diagnoses.
As a result of the high number of patients, actinic keratosis care totaled $219 million, compared with $80 million for BCC, $40 million for SCC, $9.6 million for nonspecified KC, $6.6 million for SCC in situ, and $582,000 for genital skin cancer, the investigators wrote.
The study was supported by a grant from the Department of Veterans Affairs. One of Dr. Yoon’s associates served as a consultant to several companies, but the remaining investigators had no conflicts to report.
