Social Cost Of Cancer

Cancer is a frightening topic, the National Cancer Institute states that “more women in America have died of [cancer] in the last two decades [than in WW1 and WW2 combined]”. It’s no wonder the word alone can bring anguish to many, there is still much we don’t understand about cancer. It wasn’t until recently that we began to noticed a trend of disease in my family. My grandmother Olga Losoya Suarez passed away in August of 2015 to colon cancer at the age of 75. As one can imagine this was devastating as she was the center of the family, always bringing everyone together on the holidays. Soon disaster struck again as my grandmother on my father’s side, Carolina Tovar, passed from pancreatic cancer in June of 2016 at the age of 71. Although most of the family felt a mixture of emotions, one that dominated the rest was concern. My parents, Aunts, and Uncles concerned that cancer was becoming more prominent in our family sought checkups from their doctors. My Aunt Linda informed

The CDC estimates that each year, more than eight million people are diagnosed, and consequently died from cancer, and this statistic was even higher in the 1950s. During this period, little was known of cancer’s effects on the

Cancer is one of the leading cause of death in Australia and has a considerable social and economic influence on individuals, families and the community. Statistics shows that Australia has third highest cancer rate approximately 323 people being diagnosed per 100,000 in the world. (Begg & etal, 2007, pg.116). According to the recent disease study in burden of disease by WHO and Global Burden of disease study 2012, the findings of study showed 16% and 19% of the total disease burden in Australia (Moore & et al, 2007 pg.88)). Cancer is the sixth most expensive chronic disease due to the high expenditure of treatment and management compared to other chronic disease. It has been further described that approximately $4.5 billion were spent on cancer in 2008-09, accounting for 7% of total healthcare expenditure on chronic disease (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2013b, p.7) and 79% of total expenditure that spent on cancer patients who were admitted in hospital which is 20% more than the same expenditure that was spent on all

Nearly 14.5 million Americans have had a history stint with some type of cancer and were still alive on January 1, 2014(American Cancer Society, 2016). There will be an estimated 1,685,210 new cancer cases and 595, 590 deaths in 2016 attibuted to caner in the U.S. (American Cancer Society,2016 ) Those astonishing numbers do not even account for the cancer patients family and friends whose lives are also affected this horrific disease. In order to get a glimpse of what a cancer patient has to go though, I decided to read Stuart Scott’s memoir, Every Day I Fight, by Larry Platt. He is an ESPN anchor that was diagnosed with a rare form of Appendiceal Cancer. It was a great book, and wanted to discuss the merits this book had on showing what

“Cancer does not discriminate against race, sex or age; there are many types of cancer and there are not always available treatments.”

This past summer, I, along with my mother and father, travelled to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. My mom had been invited to participate in the St. Jude For Life Study because when she was around six to eight years old, she had a form of leukemia called Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. This particular study is to help all present and future St. Jude patients and help to research for a cure. While there, I saw first-hand how cancer can affect a family. You can just see all of the stress, the worry, the exhaustion, the tiredness, the fear, and the tears on the families’ and the patients’ faces.

Studies indicate that over the last decade, the number of people suffering from cancer has increasingly gone higher. Cancer is a disease that brings fear upon its victims, especially when its diagnosis is made late. Needless to say, many people die from the fear rather than the disease itself. Medical practitioners do not term cancer as a disease but as a lifestyle condition. People may not be able to completely cure the cancer (depending on the type or stage of cancer) but they may change their perception or lifestyle, and thus be able to reduce the anticipated results.

The effects of a cancer diagnosis can be absolutely devastating, not only for the patient, but for family and loved ones as well. People affected by cancer have to cope with not only cancer treatments, but also with the stress, financial concerns, and the emotions that are part of living with cancer. Fortunately, nobody has to face these problems alone; The Center for Building Hope has free services that can help. “The Center for Building Hope offers free information, programs, and services to cancer patients, caregivers and family members, while connecting them with others who are going through a similar experience. These services are available through

Cancer affects everyone – the young and old, the rich and poor, men, women and children – and represents a tremendous burden on patients, families and societies. Cancer is one of the leading causes of death in the world, particularly in developing countries.

With cancer requiring colossal amounts of money from society to attempt to treat and cure the disease, it has become an important and relevant social issue in the United States. In 2016 alone, there will be an estimated 1,685,210 cancer diagnoses along with approximately 595,690 deaths in correlation with cancer in the United States (Cancer). Although with the United States having a population around 318 million, only approximately 5% of the population will be affected by cancer. With this only affecting a small portion of the total population, the topic of cancer can create a social issue and source for debate

There are over 14 million cancer victims currently living in the United States. There are over 1,500,000 new cases of cancer that occur every year. Cancer is the number two cause of death in the United States just behind heart disease. There are over 500,000 cancer related deaths in the nation each year. Lung and bronchus cancer are the leading killers with over 150,000 deaths a year. Prostate cancer is the most diagnosed cancer for males with over 220,000 cases a year. For females, breast cancer is the most diagnosed form of cancer with over 230,000 cases a year. These statistics were pulled from www.cancer.org. Current trends suggest that these numbers may continue along their present rate but over time improved treatments will shift the

Every year over 1.6 million people are diagnosed with cancer in the United States alone and nearly 600,000 will die as a result of the disease1. Cancer, being defined as a group of over 100 prominent diseases formed from the growth of uncontrolled cells within the body, affects the social and economic lives of citizens2. With any diagnosis comes the financial burden of hospital bills and treatment costs. According to ASCO, approximately one-third of working-age cancer survivors go into debt while three percent of patients go bankrupt from cancer care costs3. This has been a consistent issue for more than six decades. National expenditures for cancer care in the United States totaled nearly $125 billion in 2010 and could reach $156 billion, almost a 39% increase, in 20201. During the four years following their

The American Cancer Society states that cancer is a group of diseases characterized by uncontrolled growth and spread of abnormal cells. If the spread is not controlled, it can result in death (10). According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, cancer is the second leading cause of death. In 2002 alone, half a million Americans will die of this disease. Of this numerical figure, it is estimated that perhaps more than 1,500 individuals a day will die. In addition, one of every four deaths in America is from cancer (9).

Cancer is figured to be the second leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. With approximately 14 million new cases and 8.2 million cancer related deaths in 2012, alone .Why are so many people stuck suffering with this deadly disease? Millions of dollars have been invested into cancer research, yet there is no cure. Are these pharmaceutical companies focus on finding a cure for cancer or concentrating on elongated treatments in order to lengthen their pockets? We must first understand that cancer is big business earning huge profits. Nonetheless, the cancer industry is spending virtually zilch of its multi-billion dollar resources on effective prevention strategies, like dietary guidelines, exercise, natural remedies and herbs proven to cure cancer. Instead, it pours its money into treating cancer, not preventing or allaying it.

Cancer. We all know someone who has suffered from it or has passed away because of it. Cancer now affects one in every three people, and is the second highest cause of death in the United States. For decades, the medical community has been on the hunt for a cure for cancer, and have been subjected to intense ridicule from the public because of a lack of progression toward a possible cure. In recent years, many scientists, doctors, researchers, and the general public have come to believe that the cure for cancer is being suppressed because of this lack of progress. Those who say it is suppressed claim that the drugs used to treat cancer actually cause cancer, making a patient sicker and sicker. As a result, the patients are forced to spend