{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,27]],"date-time":"2026-03-27T06:48:18Z","timestamp":1774594098029,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":41,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,27]],"date-time":"2026-03-27T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1774569600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Oncol."],"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Previous studies indicate a high comorbidity burden among patients with malignant neoplasms, but claims-based comorbidity patterns have not been systematically characterized at the regional multi-hospital level in China.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>This study is a multi-center, hospital-based retrospective analysis of inpatient insurance claims. We analyzed anonymized inpatient medical insurance claims data (2016\u20132021) from 163 hospitals in Zhanjiang, China, focusing on hospitalized patients with a primary diagnosis of malignant neoplasms. Malignant neoplasms and comorbidities were identified using International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision(ICD-10) codes. Disease spectrum was stratified by sex, age, and region. Comorbidity patterns were delineated using association rule mining and network analysis.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Among 107,029 patients, the ten most common malignancies accounted for 75.96% of all cases. Hospitalizations were more frequent among rural populations, males, and individuals aged \u226565 years. The median number of co-diagnosed conditions across major malignancies was 5 (interquartile range [IQR]: 3\u20137). Network analysis revealed three major co-diagnosis clusters: 1) liver cancer with chronic viral hepatitis and hepatic fibrosis; 2) lung cancer with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and pneumonia; and 3) colorectal cancer with inflammatory bowel disease-related conditions and intestinal obstruction. Patterns varied across sex, age groups, and urban\u2013rural residence.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusions<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>This study demonstrates a high comorbidity burden among hospitalized cancer patients, with distinct malignancy-specific co-diagnosis patterns. These findings support the need for integrated clinical management and targeted healthcare resource allocation, particularly for older, male, and rural patient populations.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fonc.2026.1744397","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,27]],"date-time":"2026-03-27T05:19:31Z","timestamp":1774588771000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Disease spectrum and comorbidity patterns of malignant neoplasms: a multi-center hospital-based retrospective analysis of inpatient insurance claims data"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"16","author":[{"given":"Meilian","family":"Liu","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pulmonary Oncology, Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Medical University","place":["Zhanjiang, Guangdong, 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Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Guangdong Medical University","place":["Zhanjiang, Guangdong, China"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Lizhong","family":"Liang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Ocean and Tropical Medicine, Guangdong Medical University","place":["Zhanjiang, Guangdong, China"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Jiayuan","family":"Wu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Clinical Research Service Center, Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Medical University","place":["Zhanjiang, Guangdong, China"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Zhirong","family":"Zeng","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Guangdong Medical University","place":["Zhanjiang, Guangdong, China"]},{"name":"Institute of Public Health and Wellness, Guangdong Medical 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