November 17, 2024. International Lung Cancer Day
GAZETTE
Lung cancer causes approximately 10.000 deaths per year in Argentina and the health system allocates 1 out of every 5 dollars allocated to the treatment of all types of cancer to treat it, in addition to the fact that the disease also has a strong impact on the economy of patients and their families. The data arise from two studies conducted by the Institute of Clinical and Health Effectiveness (IECS), an academic institution affiliated with the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Buenos Aires (UBA), and were released on the occasion of International Lung Cancer Day, which is commemorated on November 17.
“Lung cancer is not the most common in Argentina (it is the fifth in women and the second in men, excluding skin cancers), but It is the one that produces the most deaths and the one that consumes the most resources", He highlighted the Dr. Andrea Alcaraz, physician, master in Clinical Effectiveness and coordinator of IECS Health Technology Assessment.
In the first study*, the research team performed mathematical modeling to estimate the disease burden and direct medical costs attributable to lung cancer in Argentina, using as inputs: international data (such as the World Cancer Observatory), a literature review, and parameters agreed upon with a local lung cancer expert.
According to the analysis, there are 12.000 new cases and 14.000 patients living with the disease each year., so the economic burden of lung cancer in Argentina in 2023 was estimated at US$556,2 million, representing 1,4% of the country's total health expenditureEstimated costs include consultations, diagnostic studies, surgeries, radiotherapy, medications, hospitalizations, follow-up and management of adverse events.
Almost 8 out of 10 cases are attributable to smoking and every year 179.000 years of life are lost due to lung cancer due to premature death and disability, which is equivalent to 179.000 people in Argentina losing a year of healthy life due to the impact of the disease, the IECS team calculated.
“Lung cancer remains a critical public health problem, and there is much room for intervention. Nearly half of all diagnoses are made at advanced stages, which limits therapeutic options and reduces quality and life expectancy,” said Dr. Alcaraz, principal investigator of this study.
MORE MATERIALS:
Watch video here
*See study here It was funded by AstraZeneca.
See technical document (“policy brief”) here.
EXPENSES FOR FAMILIES
In a second related study, which was funded by the National Cancer Institute (INC) and whose results were published in Value in Health Regional Issues, Dr. Alcaraz and colleagues evaluated the real-life experience of 3 patients diagnosed with advanced stage lung cancer in 131 public hospitals and one private institution in Buenos Aires and La Plata. They found that 48% of the participants reported a reduction in income due to the illness, 16% lost their job, and 68% reported “financial toxicity,” or out-of-pocket expenses to cope with care that seriously impacted or exceeded the economic capacity to cope with them, with a greater negative impact on those who received care in the public sector.
"The impact on the family of lung cancer is very significant. "It often affects people of productive age who lose their jobs or their income decreases, and who have to ask for money or go into debt to face catastrophic expenses," summarized the Dr. Federico Augustovski, principal investigator of the work and director of the Department of Health Technology Assessment and Health Economics at IECS.
“Given the increasing incidence of lung cancer, Countries must be prepared to continue translating research into real-world practice, improving prevention policies, supporting equitable access to healthcare, improving the effectiveness of healthcare services, and increasing public awareness. The World Health Organization (WHO) recognizes the substantial impact of lung cancer on global health and has undertaken initiatives focused on tobacco control, cancer prevention, early detection and improving access to high-quality, cost-effective treatments,” the authors concluded.
ABOUT IECS:
The IECS is an independent academic institution dedicated to research, education and technical cooperation in health. Founded in 2002, it is an institution affiliated with the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Buenos Aires (UBA) that is home to a CONICET executing unit, a WHO Collaborating center and a Cochrane Center.
The mission of the IECS is “to contribute to improving global health, generating and promoting the application of the best scientific evidence.”
In 2018, the IECS was honored by the WHO for its work against the tobacco pandemic in Latin America. See here
See institutional video here Visit institutional website at: www.iecs.org.ar
IECS PRESS CONTACT: Lic. Mariana Comolli, mcomolli@iecs.org.ar