Trends in hospitalization for female breast and gynecological cancer in China from 2004 to 2020

Breast and gynecological cancers are common cancers with high mortality and have profound effects on the various physical functions of women. This study assessed trends in the number of hospitalizations, in-hospital mortality, length of stay (LOS), and hospital charges for female breast and gynecological cancer from 2004 to 2020. The data for this study come from the China Health Statistics Yearbook. Time trends of categorical variables were assessed with the Cochran-Armitage Test. The linear model was used to test for the trend of continuous variables. The hospitalizations for breast cancer increased from 15,204 to 276,387 (P for trend < 0.001) and gynecological cancer increased from 12,418 to 214,956 (P for trend < 0.001). The in-hospital mortality rate due to breast cancer decreased from 1.70 to 1.07% (P for trend < 0.001). Hospitalizations for both breast and gynecological cancer increased clearly, whether in urban or rural. The gap between urban and rural has narrowed. The average cost per hospitalization for breast cancer significantly increased. However, the average LOS for breast cancer gradually decreased (from 17.0 to 10.7 days, P for trend < 0.001). The average cost per hospitalization for gynecological cancer increased significantly. However, this steady downward trend was observed in the average LOS for gynecological cancer (from 10.34 to 6.69 days, P for trend = 0.003). The increase in hospitalizations and medical expenses for breast and gynecological cancer should encourage healthcare policymakers and healthcare system stakeholders to develop more cost-effective approaches to women's cancer management.