health
The high cost of finding breast cancer too late
Finding cancer late carries a terrible price, in both lives and dollars. A new study led by researchers at the National Cancer Institute and American Cancer Society puts some startling numbers behind that familiar truth.
TL;DR
- Late cancer detection results in significant financial and human costs.
- A study on Medicare data for cancer patients aged 66+ revealed average final-year medical costs of nearly $122,000.
- Costs were highest for patients diagnosed after their cancers had spread.
- Early-stage breast cancer detection leads to a 100% five-year relative survival rate.
- When breast cancer spreads to distant parts of the body, the five-year relative survival rate drops to 33.8%.