Exposing the current impact of one of the UK’s biggest health challenges on the lives of those affected and on the NHS, the report has warned that if nothing is done to prevent the current impact of the disease, the annual cost of breast cancer to the economy could rise by almost 40 per cent to £3.6bn by 2034.
The figures represent costs to the NHS, costs to society in terms of productivity loss and the individual costs that people bear, such as out of pocket expenses and the loss of income from work.
The urgent need for action has been further highlighted by the report’s revelation of the true human cost of breast cancer, with wellbeing costs associated with breast cancer estimated to amount to a staggering £17.5bn in 2024.
This figure, around six times higher than estimated economic costs, exposes the often unrecognised, wider impacts of breast cancer, the findings have shown.
Baroness Delyth Morgan, chief executive of Breast Cancer Now said: “These revealing, first-of-their-kind, estimates of the economic and wellbeing costs of breast cancer in the UK show that breast cancer is far from being a ‘done deal’, and the consequences of us failing to act now are dire.
“For 50 years we’ve been supporting anyone affected by breast cancer and funding world-class research. While progress has been made across diagnosis, treatment and care, people diagnosed with breast cancer and their loved ones share with us daily the challenges of living with the disease and how their wellbeing and quality of life have deteriorated.
“While 98 per cent of women diagnosed at stage one survive for five years or more, we cannot afford to be complacent about breast cancer – it’s the most common cancer in the world and cases are rising.”
She continued: “In the UK alone, each year there are around 55,000 new cases and breast cancer causes over 11,000 deaths.
“The outlook for women first diagnosed with stage four, when the cancer has spread to another part of the body and become incurable, is bleak, with around 26 per cent – or a quarter – surviving five years or more. But there are practical steps that can be taken now to help those most affected.
“The Cost of Breast Cancer report is a wake-up call to governments and policymakers across the UK to engage with this growing health crisis and to act now with modelling setting out some of the ways in which this crisis could be tackled, most importantly to transform the lives of those affected by breast cancer, but also to make substantial and much needed cost savings for the NHS and the economy.”
As part of the report, Demos and Breast Cancer Now have set out the results of modelling to demonstrate some of the ways the severe human and financial impacts of breast cancer could be tackled.
The modelling considers the potential impacts of increasing breast screening uptake, introducing more clinical nurse specialists and helping more people return to work after a breast cancer diagnosis.
Lucy Bush, director of research and participation at Demos, said: “Shifting towards a more preventative model of healthcare overall is vital as we face a rising tide of demand for healthcare that firefighting alone will not stem. A preventative approach will reduce the strain on the public purse at the same time as creating a stronger and more resilient population.
“In this report, we show that adopting preventative measures that reduce early death and the impact of the disease have the potential to greatly reduce the cost of breast cancer to the economy and individuals.”
She added: “It is the first study of its kind to evaluate with rigour and depth the true economic costs to the UK economy of breast cancer. It is also the first of its kind to calculate the significant wellbeing costs associated with the impact of the disease on patients and relatives.
“It reveals that as a country we could be doing so much more to reduce the impact of this disease.
“By identifying the true economic costs of breast cancer and where exactly they fall, we have been able to show how targeted upfront investment could improve wellbeing and survival rates and bring down costs in the longer term.”
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