New NCI and American Cancer Society study quantifies the financial and survival costs of late-stage cancer diagnosis
A study led by researchers at the National Cancer Institute and American Cancer Society used Medicare data on cancer patients aged 66 and older to calculate that cancer-attributable medical costs averaged nearly $122,000 during the final year before a cancer death. The research found that patients diagnosed after their cancers had already spread generally incurred the highest costs, while earlier-stage diagnoses were associated with lower costs. Breast cancer's five-year relative survival rate is 100% when caught before spreading, compared to 33.8% once it has metastasized to distant parts of the body.
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A new study from researchers at the National Cancer Institute and American Cancer Society examined Medicare claims data from patients aged 66 and older to estimate the medical costs associated with cancer diagnosed at different stages, with breast cancer highlighted as a particularly striking example of the value of early detection.
Among Medicare patients studied, oral prescription drug costs during the first year after a breast cancer diagnosis averaged approximately $700 for women with early-stage disease. For women with advanced breast cancer, that figure rose to roughly $25,000, according to the Washington Examiner's coverage of the study. Americans spent $29.8 billion on breast cancer medical care and prescription drugs in 2020 — more than on any other cancer type.
The study's findings were presented in the Washington Examiner through an opinion piece by Sally C. Pipes, president and CEO of the Pacific Research Institute, a free-market health policy organization. The piece argued that policymakers should treat "clinically appropriate early detection as high-value care" and described restrictions on screening access as a "false economy."