Inter-Regional Variations in Lung Cancer Hospitalization Costs: A Path Analysis of Key Influencing Factors

Inter-Regional Variations in Lung Cancer Hospitalization Costs: A Path Analysis of Key Influencing Factors | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Inter-Regional Variations in Lung Cancer Hospitalization Costs: A Path Analysis of Key Influencing Factors YiJian Lei, Yan Pu, Yuqin Chen, Tian Hu, Shanshan Li, Mengyu Zhang, and 2 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-9142686/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 12 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract This study investigated regional variations in hospitalization expenses for lung malignant tumor patients within tertiary hospitals. Using H City as the reference point and comparing it with B, M, and C cities, we analyzed factors influencing these expenses. Utilizing data from primary lung cancer inpatients treated throughout 2023 at eight representative tertiary hospitals across the four cities, path analysis was employed to systematically assess the effects of key determinants on hospitalization costs. The findings aim to identify actionable strategies for alleviating patient financial burdens and optimizing the allocation of medical resources. The results of multiple linear regression analysis and path analysis of hospitalized patients with lung malignant tumors in different regions showed that hospitalization days and surgical status were the main factors affecting the total cost of hospitalization, suggesting that optimizing hospitalization procedures and standardizing surgical indications may be an important focus of cost control. The standardized regression coefficients are high in all cities, indicating that these two factors have a consistent and significant economic impact. The effects of gender, age, comorbidities and healthcare financing type are different in different cities. The model with hospitalization duration as the dependent variable further confirmed that surgical intervention, age, and comorbidity presence influenced length of hospital stay and indirectly affected total hospitalization costs. Regional structural and institutional disparities in lung malignant tumor treatment expenses were observed, with cost drivers exhibiting complex interdependencies. These findings indicate a need for further standardization of medical insurance payment systems and clinical practices. Implementation of enhanced cost structure monitoring is recommended to guide evidence-based optimization of clinical pathways, with targeted interventions on cost-sensitive categories such as Western medication and miscellaneous expenses. Concurrently, region-specific cost containment strategies should be developed to improve healthcare resource allocation efficiency and promote equitable, sustainable development of medical services. multiple linear regression path analysis hospitalization expenses malignant tumor payment reform Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Reviews received at journal 28 Apr, 2026 Reviews received at journal 25 Apr, 2026 Reviews received at journal 24 Apr, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 24 Apr, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 24 Apr, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 20 Apr, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 20 Apr, 2026 Reviewers invited by journal 15 Apr, 2026 Editor assigned by journal 13 Apr, 2026 Editor invited by journal 26 Mar, 2026 Submission checks completed at journal 22 Mar, 2026 First submitted to journal 22 Mar, 2026 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-9142686","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":626653095,"identity":"332e563c-bf35-4670-aaa1-045289deac06","order_by":0,"name":"YiJian Lei","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"School of Health Management, Anhui Medical University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"YiJian","middleName":"","lastName":"Lei","suffix":""},{"id":626653096,"identity":"7d678d05-b0e4-46ce-9232-69bef5ac27c2","order_by":1,"name":"Yan Pu","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"School of Health Management, Anhui Medical 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