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No trend data are available for financial burden of cancer care
Introduction
The financial costs of cancer care are a burden to people diagnosed with cancer, their families, and society as a whole. National expenditures associated with cancer have been steadily increasing in the United States. Care for cancer survivors accounted for an estimated 137.4 billion in medical care expenditures in the United States in 2010. In the near future, cancer costs may increase at a faster rate than overall medical expenditures. As the population ages, cancer prevalence and the absolute number of people treated for cancer will increase even if cancer incidence rates remain constant or decrease somewhat. Costs are also likely to increase as new, more advanced, and more expensive treatments are adopted as standards of care.
The national economic burden of cancer care in 2016 is shown below for bladder, brain, female breast, cervical, colorectal, esophageal, head and neck, kidney, lung, ovarian, pancreatic, prostate, stomach, and uterine cancers, as well as lymphoma, leukemia, and melanoma. All other cancers are combined as a single category.
National expenditures were largest for lymphoma and female breast, colorectal, prostate, and lung cancers, reflecting prevalence of disease, treatment patterns, and costs for different types of care.
Measure
Estimates of national expenditures for cancer care.
Healthy People 2020 Target
- There is no Healthy People 2020 target for the financial burden of cancer care.
Healthy People 2020 is a set of goals set forth by the Department of Health and Human Services.
Data Source
Bradley CJ, Yabroff KR, Dahman B, Feuer EJ, Mariotto A, Brown ML. Productivity costs of cancer mortality in the United States: 2000-2020. J Natl Cancer Inst 2008; 100: 1763-70.
Mariotto AB, Yabroff KR, Shao Y, Feuer EJ, Brown ML. Projections of the cost of cancer care in the United States: 2010–2020. J Natl Cancer Inst 2011;103(2): 117–28.
Warren, JL, Yabroff KR, Meekins A, Topor M, Lamont E, Brown ML. Evaluation of trends in the cost of initial cancer treatment. J Natl Cancer Inst 2008; 100: 888-897.
Trends and Most Recent Estimates
Cost of Cancer Care
By Cancer Site
| Overview graph | Cancer Site | Expenditures(billion) |
|---|---|---|
|
Female Breast | 18.9 |
| Colorectal | 15.9 | |
| Prostate | 14.3 | |
| Lymphoma | 14.0 | |
| Lung | 13.6 | |
| Leukemia | 6.3 | |
| Ovary | 5.7 | |
| Brain | 5.1 | |
| Kidney | 4.6 | |
| Bladder | 4.5 | |
| Head and Neck | 4.0 | |
| Uterus | 2.8 | |
| Melanoma | 2.8 | |
| Pancreas | 2.6 | |
| Stomach | 2.1 | |
| Esophagus | 1.6 | |
| Cervix | 1.5 | |
| All Other Sites | 23.5 |
By Cancer Site and Phase of Care
| Overview graph | Cancer Site | Last year of life | Continuing care | Initial care |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Female Breast | 4.3 | 8.0 | 6.5 |
| Colorectal | 4.8 | 4.4 | 6.6 | |
| Prostate | 1.3 | 7.6 | 5.4 | |
| Lymphoma | 4.8 | 5.7 | 3.5 | |
| Lung | 5.6 | 2.1 | 5.9 | |
| Leukemia | 3.0 | 2.5 | 0.9 | |
| Ovary | 2.4 | 1.8 | 1.5 | |
| Brain | 2.5 | 1.2 | 1.4 | |
| Kidney | 1.3 | 2.0 | 1.3 | |
| Bladder | 1.2 | 2.1 | 1.1 | |
| Head and Neck | 1.7 | 1.1 | 1.2 | |
| Uterus | 0.8 | 0.8 | 1.2 | |
| Melanoma | 0.4 | 1.9 | 0.5 | |
| Pancreas | 0.9 | 0.1 | 1.6 | |
| Stomach | 0.9 | 0.3 | 0.9 | |
| Esophagus | 0.7 | 0.2 | 0.7 | |
| Cervix | 0.7 | 0.4 | 0.5 | |
| All Other Sites | 6.2 | 13.0 | 4.3 |
Distribution of Cost by Cancer Site
| Overview graph | Cancer Site | Last year of life | Continuing care | Initial care |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Female Breast | 22.9 | 42.5 | 34.6 |
| Colorectal | 30.3 | 27.9 | 41.8 | |
| Prostate | 9.2 | 53.2 | 37.6 | |
| Lymphoma | 34.5 | 40.6 | 24.9 | |
| Lung | 41.4 | 15.2 | 43.4 | |
| Leukemia | 47.0 | 39.2 | 13.8 | |
| Ovary | 41.4 | 32.4 | 26.2 | |
| Brain | 48.8 | 24.3 | 27.0 | |
| Kidney | 29.1 | 42.8 | 28.1 | |
| Bladder | 27.7 | 47.4 | 24.9 | |
| Head and Neck | 42.5 | 27.8 | 29.7 | |
| Uterus | 28.5 | 29.7 | 41.8 | |
| Melanoma | 13.3 | 67.7 | 19.0 | |
| Pancreas | 33.2 | 5.1 | 61.8 | |
| Stomach | 41.8 | 12.8 | 45.5 | |
| Esophagus | 46.8 | 11.9 | 41.3 | |
| Cervix | 44.3 | 23.5 | 32.2 | |
| All Other Sites | 26.3 | 55.4 | 18.3 | |
| All Sites | 30.3 | 38.4 | 31.3 |
Medicare Payments During First Year After Cancer Diagnosis
| Overview graph | Cancer Site | Cancer Related Surgery | Chemotherapy | Radiation therapy | Other hospitalizations | Other services |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Female Breast | 24.6 | 14.8 | 11.0 | 18.3 | 31.3 |
| Lung | 16.6 | 20.4 | 3.3 | 33.6 | 26.1 | |
| Colorectal | 53.1 | 9.2 | 0.9 | 18.4 | 18.4 | |
| Prostate | 11.8 | 2.3 | 14.4 | 21.4 | 50.1 |
Lost Productivity Due to Cancer Diagnosis
| Overview graph | Cancer Site | Present value of lifetime earnings (billion) |
|---|---|---|
|
Lung and bronchus | 36.1 |
| Female breast | 12.1 | |
| Colon and rectum | 10.7 | |
| Pancreas | 6.6 | |
| Brain and ONS | 5.7 | |
| Leukemia | 5.7 | |
| Non-Hodgkin lymphoma | 5.5 | |
| Liver and intrahepatic bile duct | 4.4 | |
| Kidney and renal pelvis | 3.4 | |
| Head and neck | 3.4 | |
| Prostate | 3.3 | |
| Stomach | 3.2 | |
| Melanoma of the skin | 3.2 | |
| Ovary | 2.8 | |
| Cervix uteri | 1.8 | |
| Urinary bladder | 1.8 | |
| Corpus and uterus | 1.0 | |
| Hodgkin lymphoma | 0.8 | |
| Testis | 0.5 | |
| All other sites | 22.5 |
Additional Information on the Financial Burden of Cancer Care
Scientific reports
- Projections of the cost of cancer care in the United States: 2010–2020. Mariotto AB, Yabroff KR, Shao Y, Feuer EJ, Brown ML. J Natl Cancer Inst 2011;103(2): 117–28.
- Evaluation of trends in the cost of initial cancer treatment. Warren, JL, Yabroff KR, Meekins A, Topor M, Lamont E, Brown ML. J Natl Cancer Inst 2008; 100: 888-897.
- Productivity costs of cancer mortality in the United States: 2000-2020. Bradley CJ, Yabroff KR, Dahman B, Feuer EJ, Mariotto A, Brown ML. J Natl Cancer Inst 2008; 100: 1763-70.