Written on the 6th of April 2007 by Cancer Council NSW
The cost of cancer in NSW has been calculated for the first time, with a new report commissioned by The Cancer Council NSW showing patients pay an average of $8,900 in out-of-pocket expenses.
“This report paints a grim picture of the financial burden of cancer. We know that people have to face enormous challenges physically and psychologically when they're diagnosed with cancer, but we've now got a clear sense of how much financial support they need,” said Gillian Batt, Director of Cancer Information and Support Services at The Cancer Council NSW.
The report, conducted by Access Economics, found that prostate cancer and breast cancer are more expensive to patients mainly due to ongoing medication and treatment, while bowel cancer and lung cancer are more expensive to the economy as a whole.
“The costs are really variable, depending on the type of cancer and the individual's circumstance. For example, a young woman with breast cancer could be faced with $40,300 in lost productivity and out-of-pocket expenses, as she may need ongoing drugs on prescription and things like lymphodema sleeves and breast prostheses. A pensioner with bowel cancer would be facing costs of approximately $10,000 on average, even though a lot of his treatment will occur at hospital,” she said.
The report found that the average lifetime financial cost of cancer on a household in NSW equates to 1.7 years of annual household income.
“To ease the load for families who are really struggling, we now give grants to patients via social workers and are also awarding money to community groups to roll out cancer control initiatives on a local level.”
According to the report, in 2005 at least $2.5 million was spent on providing accommodation to people with cancer by non-profit organisations in NSW.
“The costs of travel and accommodation can be prohibitive for patients, particularly when you consider many have to endure long courses of chemotherapy and radiotherapy far from their home. We're now directing more money into transport for patients to get to treatment, funding services in Gloucester, Port Stephens and the Southern Highlands.
“It does help that, after years of lobbying, the government expanded the assistance available through IPTAAS so now 11,000 additional patients get assistance to travel to treatment. However, this report shows that more needs to be done,” she said.
“As the incidence of cancer increases with the ageing of the population, we will need a greater focus on addressing the hidden costs of cancer that patients have to bear,” said Ms Batt.
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