Zeng-Bao Hu, Hao-Xun Mao, Stuart McDonald, Hua Yu, Yi Lin
Stomach cancer (SC) is the third leading cause of cancer-related death in China, imposing a substantial burden on the healthcare system. Nutritional risk is common among patients with SC, yet evidence on associated medical costs and their composition remains limited in China. This retrospective observational study estimated SC-related medical costs and cost composition by preoperative nutritional status. Medical treatment costs were obtained for inpatients aged ≥18 years who were primarily diagnosed with SC and underwent surgical treatment between 2020 and 2023 at a tertiary hospital in Ningbo, China. Preoperative nutritional status was assessed using Nutrition Risk Screening 2002, classifying patients as at nutritional risk or well-nourished. Total treatment costs were categorized into five components: examination, surgery, medication, material, and hospital service costs. All costs were converted to 2020 Chinese yuan. Among 1,102 patients, 69.51% were male, 69.06% had stage I-II disease, and 50.18% were at nutritional risk. Materials, medications, and examinations accounted for 70%-75% of total costs, depending on year and nutritional status. From 2020 to 2023, the proportions of examination, surgery, and hospital service costs increased, while material costs declined at comparable rates in both groups. Medication cost proportions decreased in both groups; descriptively, the annual decrease was larger among well-nourished patients (-2.85% vs. -0.96%), although this between-group difference was not formally tested. In conclusion, SC-related medical costs varied across preoperative nutritional statuses. Subsidies for essential medications and medical materials may be considered to reduce the economic burden of SC treatment. The economic implications of nutritional support should be further evaluated in future studies with detailed information on nutritional interventions and their costs.