Brussels, 14/10/2013 (Agence Europe) - Cancer cost the European Union member states more than €126 billion in 2009, according to a British study published in The Lancet. This study took into account not just the economic burden of health care spending but also the costs linked to absences from work, invalidity and the time and costs of unpaid care provided by relatives or friends of patients. This is the first time that researchers have attempted to quantify the, “Economic burden of cancer across the European Union”.
Estimates by British researchers focus on 2009 because this was the most recent year where complete figures are available. 150 different sources were drawn from. Out of the €126 billion evaluated, only €51 billion covered health care costs in its strictest sense (4% of total health spending in the EU27), which corresponds to just 40% of the economic burden caused by cancer. In addition to this amount, €43 billion in productivity losses caused by premature death, €9.43 billion in losses linked to 83 million working days lost in the EU due to sickness or incapacity leave caused by cancer and €23.3 billion spent on 3 billion hours of health care for patients, provided by friends and family. Out of the €51 billion calculated for healthcare in its strictest sense, hospital costs are the most expensive (€28.4 billion), which are more than the cost of medicines (€13.6 billion). Although the European Union spends on average the equivalent of €102 per citizen on its healthcare spending on cancer, there are sharp disparities between the different member states, with €52 per person in Romania, €97 in France and €171 in Germany. Spending on cancer is much higher in the US, where a total of €157 billion ($202 billion) was spent in 2008, according to an evaluation that excluded close family and friends of patients and working days lost; or in other words, €196 ($255) per person. Compared to cancer, cardiovascular disease has a much higher overall cost in Europe and stands at €195 billion (according to another study), even though the burden in terms of productivity is more significant for cancer. (IL/transl.fl)