A new report from the AIHW, Health System Costs of Cancer in
Australia 1993-94, provides the first systematic analysis of the
total health system costs of different types of cancer in
Australia. Cancer costs the Australian community almost $2 billion
per year in direct health system costs, of which more than 80% are
treatment costs.
In 1993-94 cancer accounted for 6% of total recurrent health
expenditure compared with 12% for cardiovascular diseases, 12% for
digestive system diseases and 9.5% for musculoskeletal problems.
Cancer was responsible for 27% of all deaths in Australia in
1993-94.
AIHW's Principal Research Fellow, Dr Colin Mathers, said that
the most expensive cancer is non-melanoma skin cancer-its estimated
cost in 1993-94 was $232 million. 'This includes health
interventions for benign skin tumours and in-situ skin cancers, as
well as for invasive cancers. While non-melanoma skin cancer causes
only a small number of deaths-379 in 1993-there were over 243,000
new cases that year.'
Colorectal cancer is the second highest contributor to direct
costs (an estimated $205 million), ranks second in terms of cancer
deaths (4,440 in 1993), and ranks third in terms of new cases
(9,538 cases in 1994).
The cancers that account for the most health expenditure
are:
- Non-melanoma skin cancer $232 million(12% of health system
costs for cancer)
- Colorectal cancer $205 million (11%)
- Breast cancer $184 million (10%)
- Leukemia $111 million (6%)
- Lung cancer $107 million (6%)
- Lymphoma and multiple myeloma $106 million (6%)
- Prostate cancer $101 million (5.0%).
Other findings of the report include:
- Breast cancer ranks third in terms of direct costs ($184
million), third in terms of deaths (2,641), and fourth in terms of
new cases (8,448 cases).
- Lung cancer accounts for the largest number of cancer deaths
(6,393 or 19%), has approximately the same number of new cases as
deaths (6,911), and ranks fifth in terms of costs ($107
million).
- Forty-five per cent of total health system costs of cancer
relate to people aged 65 years and over, with a further 33%
relating to people aged 45-64 years. Less than 3% of all cancer
costs relate to children aged 0-14 years.
- Estimated lifetime treatment costs for cancers vary enormously,
from around $58,000 for leukemia to $2,400 for melanoma. The
average lifetime treatment cost per new cancer case is estimated to
be around $17,000.
3 October 1998
Further information: Dr Colin Mathers,
Principal Research Fellow, ph. 02 6244 1138 or 04 0792 8523
(mobile).
For media copies of the report: Michelle Wells,
ph. 02 6244 1012.
Availability: Check the AIHW Publications
Catalogue for details.