Studies: Economic Burden of Cancer

The following publications contain data on the economic burden of cancer. To request copies of any of these publications send an e-mail message to Penny Randall-Levy. Please indicate which publication(s) you would like to receive and your name and mailing address.

Updates and extensions of these studies will be posted as they become available.

Brown ML, Lipscomb J, Snyder C. The burden of illness of cancer: economic cost and quality of life. Annu Rev Public Health 2001;22:91–113.

Reviews the main measures of burden of disease as related to cancer, including incidence and mortality, years of life lost from cancer, and cancer prevalence. Discusses the economic burden of cancer, examines the impact of cancer on health-related quality of life, and discusses approaches to measuring the burden of cancer as well as methodologic challenges that persist in burden-of-illness research.

Varmus H. Disease-Specific Estimates of Direct and Indirect Costs of Illness and NIH Support. Bethesda, MD: Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, Office of the Director, September 1997.

Reviews and summarizes all known estimates of the national cost of illness for all disease and health condition categories. Provides estimates of 1996 NIH budget expenditures by disease categories.

Brown ML, Hodgson TA, Rice DP. Economic impact of cancer in the United States. In David Schottenfeld and Joseph F. Fraumeni, Jr. (Eds.), Cancer Epidemiol Prev, Second Edition. New York, NY: Oxford University 1996.

Provides more details on methodology of estimating direct medical, morbidity and mortality costs for 1985. Provides updated estimates of direct medical costs for 1990 and 1994.

Brown ML, Fintor L. The economic burden of cancer. In Peter Greenwald, Barnett S. Kramer and Douglas L. Weed, (eds.) Cancer Prevention and Control. New York: Marcel-Dekker Publisher 1995.

Review of concepts, definitions and data on the economics burden of cancer. Provides estimates, for 1990, on the national economic cost of cancer by direct medical, morbidity and mortality cost for all cancer. For mortality cost and direct cost, provides cost breakdown by type of medical expenditures, and cancer organ site (e.g. breast cancer, lung cancer, etc.).

Brown ML. The national economic burden of cancer. J the Natl Cancer Inst 1990;82(23):1811-1814.

Brief report which provides estimates for 1985 and 1990 of the annual economic cost to the U.S. of cancer treatment, morbidity cost (lost economic productivity due to work loss) and mortality cost (lost economic productivity due to premature mortality).