Varanasi: Tata Memorial Center (TMC), which operates two cancer hospitals – Mahamana Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya Cancer Center (MPMMCC) and Homi Bhabha Cancer Hospital (HBCH) – in Varanasi, has conducted a first of its kind study on the cost of oral . Cancer treatment in India This study was published in the medical journal ‘eCancer’ on 17 June.
TMC Director Dr RA Budwe said, “According to the World Health Organization (WHO), cancer is the second leading cause of death globally, with nearly 70% of cases being reported in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). India’s cancer landscape is burdened by the most common oral cancer among men. In fact, India accounted for nearly a third of the global incidence in 2020.
“According to data from Globocan, the rate of new cases being diagnosed has increased by 68% over the past two decades, making this a real public health crisis. To add to this, access to health services is low, which results in poor health literacy with the majority of cases presenting with advanced-stage disease that is often difficult to treat,” said Dr. Budway, adding that about 10% of patients have a progressive disease that makes them untreatable. and can only be offered supportive care for their symptoms.
Most people who receive some form of treatment remain unemployed and become a financial burden on their family and friends. Even health insurance and government-aided patients, who are generally viewed as immune to health care costs, face serious challenges as most plans do not provide the actual amount needed for treatment. Huh. This ultimately increases their out-of-pocket expenses, pushing a significant portion of patients into a never-ending cycle of debt to themselves and their families.
To tackle these issues, Dr. Pankaj Chaturvedi, Officer-in-Charge of MPMMCC and HBCH and his team at the Tata Memorial Center set out to conduct a cost of disease analysis that will provide invaluable information for policy makers who can access resources for cancer. Make proper allocation. .
Chaturvedi claimed that this is the first such study among a handful of people in India and globally whose estimates were calculated using a bottom-up approach, where data was collected prospectively for each service. was because it was used. “This vast data collection has resulted in the determination of the direct health cost of oral cancer treatment, that is, the cost per patient borne by a healthcare provider directly responsible for oral cancer treatment.”
Dr Arjun Singh, Research Fellow at Tata Memorial Hospital and lead author of the study, said the unit cost of treatment for advanced stages (Rs 2,02,892) was found to be 42% higher than that of early stages (Rs 1,17,135). )
“At the same time, unit costs decreased by an average of 11% as socio-economic status increased. Medical devices accounted for 97.8% of capital costs, with radiology services contributing the most, including CT, MRI and PET scans. The variable cost including consumables for surgery in advanced stages was 1.4 times higher than in initial stages. The addition of additional chemo and radiotherapy in surgery has increased the average cost of treatment by 44.6%,” he said.
According to the study, about 60-80% of oral cancer cases in advanced stages go to their specialist oncologist. According to the study results, multiplying the per unit cost of early and advanced cancer, India spent about Rs 2,386 crore on oral cancer treatment in 2020, which was paid for by insurance schemes, government and private sector expenditure, out-of-pocket costs and done on charitable donations. Combination of these.
This is a significant part of the health care budget allocation made by the government in 2019-20 for a disease. Without any cost inflation, this would result in an economic burden of Rs 23,724 crore on the country over the next 10 years.
This stressful economic impact of oral cancer treatment, strongly suggests that prevention should be one of the major mitigation strategies to address affordability. Almost all oral cancers are caused by some form of tobacco and betel nut use, either directly or in the form of secondhand consumption. It is very important for our country to take adequate measures to curb this menace and reduce the economic burden caused by just one of the hundreds of diseases caused by tobacco consumption.
Chaturvedi said that early detection strategies can reduce advanced stage disease by just 20%, saving about Rs 250 crore annually. Physicians, dentists and all healthcare workers are the first line of detection where opportunistic screening of high-risk individuals such as tobacco and betel nut users can be undertaken. Institutions also play an important role in following up screened patients, implementing tobacco de-addiction strategies and providing timely care and support. He said the Tata Memorial Center’s efforts can now provide a deeper understanding of the cost of oral cancer treatment that can help policy makers plan treatment delivery more effectively.
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