NCI’s 2010 Update to the Cancer Trends Progress Report

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) posted an update to its Cancer Trends Progress Report 2009/2010 on April 15, 2010.  Of the many new measures included, is an expanded section on Cost of Cancer Care (http://progressreport.cancer.gov/doc_detail.asp?pid=1&did=2009&chid=95&coid=926&mid=).  The report reviews national cancer care expenditures in 2006 based on cancer site, phase of care, first year of diagnosis and lost productivity per site.  The data are presented in interactive graphs that provide more information when the cursor hovers over a data point.

The report notes that the total national cancer care expenditures for 2006 were an estimated $104.1 billion.  Cancers of the female breast, colon, lung, prostate and lymphoma dwarfed expenditures of other forms and each type of cancer listed includes costs associated with initial, continuing and last year of life care.  Relative to the other big expenditure cancers, prostate cancer had a relatively low last year of life cost.  When comparing losses of lifetime earnings due to cancer deaths in 2005, lung and bronchus cancers are triple that of the next nearest type, female breast. 

The report notes that, “In the near future, cancer costs may increase at a faster rate than overall medical expenditures.  As the population ages, the absolute number of people treated for cancer will increase faster than the overall population, and cancer prevalence will increase relative to other disease categories…”  Additionally, “Costs are likely to increase as new more advanced, and more expensive treatments are adopted as standards of care.”