One-day surgery in a series of 150 breast cancer patients: efficacy and cost-benefit analysis.

Financing health-care expenditure has become increasingly more difficult. Considering the high frequency of breast cancer, which affects one million women in the world each year, the reductions of medical expenditure for the treatment of this disease is highly desirable within the limits of medical efficiency and safety. One hundred and fifty patients with carcinoma of the breast underwent surgery in our department with one-day hospitalization. Patients were discharged with the drainage tube still in place and later treated in the out-patient setting, for dressing and checking the wound, and removing the stitches and drainage tube. Four cases of seroma were registered, all resolved by aspiration of the fluid in a single visit, 1 case of haematoma and 1 case of infection. Patients who underwent this short-stay treatment were amply satisfied. Our experience demonstrates that this type of treatment is both safe and effective. Moreover, it provides considerable benefits in terms of national health-care costs as well as being psychologically better for the patients.