The Association between Mortality-to-Incidence Ratios and Health Expenditures in Brain and Nervous System Cancers

Tsung-Han Lee, Wen-Wei Sung, Lung Chan, Hsiang-Lin Lee, Sung-Lang Chen, Yu-Hui Huang and Aij-Lie Kwan
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Tsung-Han Lee: Division of Neurosurgery, Department of Surgery, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung 83301, Taiwan
Wen-Wei Sung: Institute of Medicine, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung 40201, Taiwan
Lung Chan: School of Medicine, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung 40201, Taiwan
Hsiang-Lin Lee: Institute of Medicine, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung 40201, Taiwan
Sung-Lang Chen: Institute of Medicine, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung 40201, Taiwan
Yu-Hui Huang: Institute of Medicine, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung 40201, Taiwan
Aij-Lie Kwan: Graduate Institute of Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 80708, Taiwan

IJERPH, 2019, vol. 16, issue 15, 1-9

Abstract: Mortality-to-incidence ratios (MIRs) are alternative parameters used to evaluate the prognosis of a disease. In addition, MIRs are associated with the ranking of health care systems and expenditures for certain types of cancer. However, a lack of association between MIRs and pancreatic cancer has been noted. Given the poor prognosis of brain and nervous system cancers, similar to pancreatic cancer, the relation of MIRs and health care disparities is worth investigating. We used the Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient (CC) to analyze the correlation between the MIRs in brain and nervous system cancers and inter-country disparities, including expenditures on health and human development index. Interestingly, the MIRs in brain and nervous system cancers are associated with the human development index score (N = 157, CC = −0.394, p < 0.001), current health expenditure (CHE) per capita (N = 157, CC = −0.438, p < 0.001), and CHE as percentage of gross domestic product (N = 157, CC = −0.245, p = 0.002). In conclusion, the MIRs in the brain and nervous system cancer are significantly associated with health expenditures and human development index. However, their role as an indicator of health disparity warrants further investigation.

Keywords: brain cancer; nervous system cancer; mortality; incidence; mortality-to-incidence ratio; expenditure; human development index (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
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