New AHRQ Report Shows 65 Percent Increase in Breast Reconstruction Surgeries After Mastectomies

The portion of women who elected to have breast reconstruction surgeries after mastectomies increased 65 percent between 2009 and 2014, with the sharpest rise occurring among women 65 and older, according to a new analysis by AHRQ. During the same timeframe, reconstructive surgeries increased more than 150 percent in outpatient settings while reconstructions in inpatient settings stayed stable. The new statistical brief, released during Breast Cancer Awareness Month, was developed by AHRQ researchers who mined data from the Agency’s Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project, the nation’s most comprehensive source of hospital data, including information on inpatient care, ambulatory care and emergency department visits. The new analysis found that, while about 24 in 100 women chose reconstruction surgery following a mastectomy in 2009, that rate rose to about 40 women out of every 100 in 2014. The analysis also found that in 2014, women who lived in rural areas had fewer reconstructions (29 per 100 mastectomies) compared with urban-dwelling women (41 reconstructions per 100 mastectomies), and that black women were more likely to receive breast reconstruction surgery in an inpatient setting compared with white and Hispanic women. Access AHRQ’s press release to learn more.

Breast Reconstruction Surgery for Mastectomy in Hospital Inpatient and Ambulatory Settings, 2009-2014

Adela M. Miller, B.S., Claudia A. Steiner, M.D., M.P.H., Marguerite L. Barrett, M.S., Kathryn R. Fingar, Ph.D., M.P.H., and Anne Elixhauser, Ph.D.

Highlights

From 2009 to 2014, in 22 States, the population rate of breast reconstruction for mastectomy increased by 62 percent, from 21.7 to 35.1 per 100,000 women aged 18 years or older.

Increases occurred for all age groups, but disproportionately so for women aged 65 years and older, those covered by Medicare, and those who were uninsured.

In 2014, women who lived in rural areas had fewer reconstructions (29 per 100 mastectomies) compared with urban-dwelling women (41 reconstructions per 100 mastectomies).

Growth in breast reconstructive surgery was primarily attributable to the following factors:
- Ambulatory surgeries increased more than 150 percent. Inpatient reconstructions were stable.
- Reconstructions performed at a separate stay or visit following mastectomy, which constituted 61 percent of reconstructions in 2009 and grew to 71 percent in 2014.

Compared with White and Hispanic women, Black women were more likely to receive breast reconstruction surgery as an inpatient procedure and with simultaneous mastectomy.