Lung cancer cost the country BRL 1.3 billion in 2019 – 08/28/2023 – Health

In 2019, Brazil spent BRL 1.3 billion on direct and indirect costs related to lung cancer, according to a study released on Monday night (28).

According to data collected from the Ministry of Health and the ANS (National Supplementary Health Agency) for the years 2015 to 2019, approximately 80% of costs are related to early deaths, thus generating a high loss of productivity in the country.

Although it is considered the fourth most prevalent type of cancer in the country (behind, respectively, breast, prostate and colon and rectum cancer), lung cancer has a high mortality rate: in 2015, it caused 26,500 deaths, moving to 29.3 thousand in 2019, with an average growth of 2.54% per year. Prostate and breast cancer cause less than 20,000 deaths each year.

The high indirect cost related to lung cancer, of BRL 1 billion, exceeds that of prostate cancer (BRL 800 million), and is close to that of breast cancer (BRL 1.381 billion), which also has a high mortality rate.

The study was led by Insper and sponsored by AstraZeneca. The results were presented at an event this Monday (28) at the British Brazilian Center, in the west zone of São Paulo.

The first medical consensus for lung cancer screening in the country was also launched at the event, developed by the Brazilian College of Radiology, by the SBPT (Brazilian Society of Pulmonology and Phthisiology) and by the SBCT (Brazilian Society of Thoracic Surgery).

To assess the economic impact of lung cancer in Brazil, the researchers used data from outpatient and hospital care available on the SIH (Hospital Information System) and SIA (Outpatient Information System) platforms, from DataSUS, and from private service visits, obtained by TISS (Exchange of Supplementary Health Information), from ANS.

Then, they divided the costs into indirect, which can be understood as all expenses that are not directly related to hospitalization or the disease, and direct, such as outpatient, hospital and treatment costs. In 2019, the indirect costs of lung cancer were BRL 1.012 billion, against BRL 1.381 billion for breast cancer, and BRL 164 million for prostate cancer.

On the other hand, both breast and prostate cancer had higher expenses related to hospitalization in the SUS, of BRL 159 million and BRL 106 million, while lung cancer had expenses of BRL 41.6 million. This is due, according to the authors, to the late diagnosis of lung cancer, already discovered at an advanced stage and with little chance of cure.

As the expense related to lung cancer mortality is much higher than that recorded for hospitalization, the researchers advocate the implementation of a patient tracking system, the way it is done today for breast cancer.

In addition to the quantitative data, the research carried out a systematic review (analysis based on studies already published in the past on the subject) and a survey with specialists in the field to list what would be the main bottlenecks in the early diagnosis and screening of lung cancer in the country. .

For the economist and researcher at Insper Vanessa Boarati, who led the study, there was no data before on expenses with lung cancer in the country that could encourage public policies. “With the aim of quantifying the economic costs, mapping and classifying the main barriers to public policies, the study was done with the aim of analyzing what would be necessary for a national tracking policy”, she said.

Among the barriers found for the early diagnosis of lung cancer are barriers in the health system, which is saturated; regulation and access to new therapeutic technologies; in the promotion of campaigns; and greater political and social mobilization to achieve changes in the current scenario.

According to Carlos Gil, president of the SBOC (Brazilian Society of Clinical Oncology), lung cancer, due to its high mortality, has a great economic impact. “Lung cancer is a global public health problem and the best strategy to increase the chance of cure is early diagnosis,” he said.

“In this sense, screening strategies in Brazil are still very limited. The study is important when trying to raise the costs of this type of cancer in the country, focusing on the potential impact of screening strategies”, completed the doctor.

As there is a strong relationship between smoking and lung cancer, the guide released this Monday (28) recommends performing a low-dose CT scan in smokers and former smokers aged 50 years or more and who have smoked for more than 20 packs per year.

According to estimates by Inca (National Cancer Institute), 32,000 new cases of lung cancer per year are expected for the three-year period 2023 to 2025. Despite this, Brazil is on the path to reducing smoking, as advocated by the WHO (World Organization da Saúde), having achieved all the measures recommended by the agency, according to a report released last month.

The document presented by the medical societies is part of the Lung Ambition Alliance initiative, with the support of the pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca, and seeks to implement a national program for screening and early diagnosis of lung cancer.

“This unprecedented survey is part of a strategy for significant improvements in the care of patients with lung cancer, including the expectation of doubling the relative survival rate in five years, which is currently 18%, to 36%”, said the general director of AstraZeneca in Brazil, Olavo Corrêa.