Cancer Costs Forecast To Rise 62% By 2021

The cost of diagnosing and treating cancer patients could rise by two-thirds over the next decade, according to a new report.

Healthcare analysts Laing and Buisson warned diagnosis and treatment costs are set to increase by 62% from £9.4bn in 2010 to £15.3bn by 2021.

This will mean the average cost of treating someone suffering from cancer will go from £30,000 in 2010 to almost £40,000 in 2021.

The Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment: A 2021 Projection report, conducted for Bupa, warns this will inevitably affect cancer survival rates in the UK.

It said: "If we do not address the rising cost of cancer, we are unlikely to be able to afford the desired and expected level of cancer diagnosis and treatment over the next 10 years and beyond.

"This possibility will mean that the UK's cancer survival rate could fall even further behind that of other developed countries."

The study comes weeks after data from the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development revealed the UK is lagging behind other countries on average survival rates for breast, bowel and cervical cancer.

The predicted hike in costs would largely be due to Britain's ageing population, which is predicted to lead to a 20% growth in cancer rates by 2021.

Rising costs of technology and treatments used to combat forms of the disease will also be a contributing factor.

Professor Karol Sikora, medical director of Cancer Partners UK , said: "Ironically, the reasons behind this dramatic increase in costs are a cause for celebration.

"Cancer is predominantly a disease of older people and because of the advances of modern medicine, many more are living in good health well beyond retirement. This trend is set to continue so cancer incidence will inevitably rise.

"Fortunately, when cancer does strike, we now have powerful new technologies available to gradually turn cancer into a chronic, controllable disease like diabetes.

"However, the rising numbers and the advent of innovation come with a hefty price tag."

According to the report, the NHS will take the greatest hit, with the money it spends on diagnosing and treating cancer going up by £5.2bn.

Costs are also predicted to rise in the private sector by an estimated £531m and by £131m in the voluntary sector.

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