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Medical AI Inquiry: You was designed to assist in medical decision-making based on the provided user questions. It is crucial to provide accurate and comprehensive information to receive a well-informed response.  Labels: BACKGROUND, OBJECTIVE, METHODS, RESULTS. Meshes: Carcinoma, Squamous Cell, Female, Health Care Costs, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Organ Transplantation, Postoperative Complications, Retrospective Studies, Skin Neoplasms.
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Does squamous cell carcinoma of the skin induce considerable sustained cost of care in organ transplant recipients? Context: Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is the most frequent cancer in organ transplant recipients (OTR). We retrospectively analyzed the cost of dermatologic care in our OTR specialty clinic. We collected billing data for OTR (n = 198) seen at the Dermatology Department of Zurich University Hospital over 4 years (2004-2007). Grouping by histology yielded the groups: SCC (n = 70), with SCC occurring within the observation period; past SCC (n = 40), with SCC before the observation period; in situ SCC (n = 13), when only in situ SCC had been diagnosed; biopsy negative (n = 49) for SCC and in situ SCC; and no biopsy ever (n = 26) within the observation period. Median annual costs for dermatologic care were US$1398 for SCC; US$776 for past SCC; US$308 for in situ SCC; US$211 for biopsy negative; and US$156 for no biopsy ever. Median cost per case of invasive SCC (US$1830) was higher than cost per case of in situ SCC (US$603). Regression analysis showed male sex (P = .006), age at transplantation (P = .001), and time since transplantation (P < .001) as independent cost factors.
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This was an open, retrospective, single-center study with limited patient numbers. Final Decision: yes