Health economic aspects of breast cancer treatment: the compulsory health insurances' view.

Due to the impact of rising expenditures for the delivery of high-standard health care, further efforts supporting evidence-based, cost-efficient and patient-centered management in oncology are advised. This also concerns the treatment of patients with breast cancer. Reimbursement of diagnostic and/or therapeutic innovations in oncologic health care within the compulsory health insurances (CHIs) in Germany requests their evidence-based proof of benefit and medical need. Using selected examples in pharmacotherapy, recommendations to improve outpatient breast cancer care are discussed.