Early breast cancer intervention is cost-effective for all income groups – model analysis
Edmund Martinez
Breast cancer
is reported to be one of the top two cancers in the Philippines for women. WHO
2020 Country Profile considered it as the third leading cause of cancer death,
with financial burden going past 30 percent of the annual household income from
the first year of diagnosis.
The ASEAN
CosTs In Oncology (ACTION) study, on the other hand, showed that breast cancer
deaths reached up to two thirds of patients. It also found that, in the
Philippines, within a year from diagnosis, financial catastrophe and death was
70 percent and 17 percent respectively, with 53 percent diagnosed at the late stages of breast
cancer. These findings were attributed to accessibility issues for early
detection and management.
