Abstract
Prevalence of disease, economics of care, and implications for payers, as told in charts.
By 2020, 18.2 million Americans — roughly 1 in 19 people — will be cancer patients or cancer survivors, up from 11.7 million (1 in 26) in 2005, according to the Journal of Oncology Practice (Erikson 2007). With more and better treatment options emerging at ever-higher costs, policymakers, health plans, and employers face difficult decisions about coverage, access, and cost sharing.
CLINICAL BURDEN
Relative survival rates
Although breast cancer ranks second among cancer deaths in women, survival rates have steadily increased since 1990, with larger increases among women younger than 50.
♦ The one-year relative survival rate for lung cancer has increased slightly since the 1970s, but the five-year survival rate for all stages combined is only 16 percent.
ECONOMIC BURDEN
Patient time costs associated with cancer care
Lung cancer patients spend considerably more time in the hospital than patients diagnosed with other solid tumors. Using $15.23 per hour* to value patient time, estimated national patient time costs for the first year of care for lung cancer patients was $754 million in 2005. Colorectal cancer was second highest at $637 million, followed by breast cancer at $240 million, and prostate cancer at $204 million. The fact that the latter two cancers have become chronic diseases is reflected in lower costs associated with inpatient care.
Patient time costs include time spent traveling to and from appointments, waiting for appointments, and receiving care and services.
*Median U.S. wage in 2002, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
♦ The overall cost of cancer in America rang in at $206 billion in 2006, according to the National Institutes of Health — that included $78 billion for direct medical costs, $18 billion for lost productivity attributed to illness, and $110 billion for lost productivity.
DRUGS IN DEVELOPMENT
Biotechnology products in pipeline
About half of biologics in development are for cancer, more than four times the number in development for infectious diseases or autoimmune disorders.
♦ Biologics to watch in 2008: In a surprise move earlier this year, Genentech won U.S. Food and Drug Administration support for an expanded indication of bevacizumab (Avastin) to treat breast cancer. Dendreon may ask the FDA for approval of sipuleucel-T (Provenge) to treat prostate cancer, depending on interim data on a survival study requested by regulators. ImClone is expected to release study data in mid-year that shows the effectiveness of cetuximab (Erbitux) in treating lung cancer.
