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Assessing Human and Economic Benefits of Cancer Prevention

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Fundamentals of Cancer Prevention

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Abstract

It is important to quantify the human and economic value of cancer prevention to illustrate the wisdom of executing behaviors and implementing policies that help avoid the many consequences of a cancer diagnosis. The impact of cancer and its treatment can include significant burdens on patients, their families, the health-care system, and society as a whole. For the patient, cancer can lead to decreases in both the length and quality of life. It was estimated that each person who died of cancer in 2008 in the USA lost, on average, 15.5 years of life. For cancer survivors, there is increased risk for poorer physical health-related quality of life, psychological distress, higher out-of-pocket medical expenditures, employment challenges, and personal bankruptcy. However, to justify investments in cancer prevention, it is essential to have data about the relative costs and outcomes of prevention activities. Resources should be used for programs that produce the greatest benefit for the greatest number of people. Comparative effectiveness research is emerging as a promising means of generating the type of evidence that will inform health-care decisions that are important to patients and their families.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Patient-Reported Outcome Consortium, Critical Path Institute, Tucson, AZ, 85718, USA

    Stephen Joel Coons

  2. Department of Health Outcomes and Behavior Program, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL, 33612, USA

    Benjamin M. Craig

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  1. Stephen Joel Coons
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  2. Benjamin M. Craig
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Correspondence to Stephen Joel Coons .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Arizona Cancer Center, University of Arizona College of Medicine, Tucson, Arizona, USA

    David Alberts

  2. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Indiana University Schools of Medicine and Public Health, Indianapolis, Arizona, USA

    Lisa M. Hess

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Coons, S.J., Craig, B.M. (2014). Assessing Human and Economic Benefits of Cancer Prevention. In: Alberts, D., Hess, L. (eds) Fundamentals of Cancer Prevention. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-38983-2_2

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