Countries need to take urgent action to reduce the burden of cancer and curb “unsustainable” health costs for the disease, a report by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has urged.
An OECD analysis covering 51 countries1 modelled the economic costs and societal impacts of cancer and the potential impact of government policies.
Michele Cecchini, the report’s lead author in the OECD’s health division, said, “We calculate that because of factors such as population ageing and better cancer outcomes, on average across the OECD health spending on cancer could increase by 83% by 2050.”
“This trajectory is unsustainable, especially at a time when health systems are already under huge financial pressure,” he told The BMJ.
Increasing investment in prevention could make a big …
