The results of “The Asean Costs in Oncology Study (Action)” showed that 29% of patients were dead within one year of being diagnosed with cancer while 48% were experiencing financial catastrophe.
“That’s a devastating statistic,” said lead investigator Prof Dr Mark Woodward from the George Institute of Global Health in Australia.
This is exacerbated by the fact that new cancer cases in the region are expected to increase by 70% to 1.3 million within the next 15 years.
Among the factors associated with death or financial catastrophe were being aged over 65 years, low income and education levels, lack of health insurance and having an advanced stage of cancer during diagnosis.
According to Prof Woodward, financial catastrophe in this study was defined as having to spend 30% or more of household income on cancer treatment.
In addition, 44% of patients who were still alive after a year and who originally had no economic hardship before being diagnosed with cancer, were experiencing economic hardship at the end of the study.
Economic hardship is defined as being unable to pay one or more household bills.
Covering all the Asean countries except Singapore and Brunei, the study involved 9,513 newly-
diagnosed cancer patients, including 1,662 from Malaysia.
Said Prof Woodward: “As far as I am aware, this is the only study of this kind to have ever taken place anywhere in the world, where we have actually followed up patients to look at both economic and clinical outcomes within a 12-month period.”
He hopes that Asean governments will put into place policies that can improve access to cancer care and provide adequate financial protection from the costs of the disease.
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