The New Economics of Cancer Care

The last four decades have seen a reduction of many diseases—but not of long term medical conditions—or of cancer. Between 1971 and 2008, the age standardized incidence of cancer has increased by around 24 per cent in males and 49 per cent in females. Cancer is rapidly becoming the leading UK cause of premature death under
70. Demand will be driven by population aging---75 per cent of new cancer cases are diagnosed in people over 60.
In The Economics of Cancer Care*, now available in paperback for the first time, Prof Nick Bosanquet of Imperial College, an economist and Chairman of Volterra Health and Dr Karol Sikora a leading clinician and former Director of the WHO Cancer Centre in Lyon set out how we could have a more effective cancer care through stages of a New Model :

• Prevention
• Screening and early diagnosis
• Ambulatory care
• Care programmes
• Palliative and end of life care

This model is international and requires co-ordinated action. Prevention is cost effective but does not reduce incidence in the short term: early detection can raise incidence as well as carrying a risk of false positives which will lead to treatment delays. Most cancer treatments can be organized on a day basis. And there is an urgent need for programmes to improve the quality of life of survivors. Lastly there is an international deficit in low cost effective end of life care.
The new model developed from research done by the authors on improving cancer services in The Czech Republic and Poland: and also for Hospital Trusts in the UK. The new UCLH cancer centre in London, where Nick contributed to the design, will have no in-patient beds and will aim at 10 days from referral to treatment. The new model offers a very positive and fundable way forward for cancer services for the future decade, where there will be a 100 per cent rise in demand and a 10 per cent rise in funding.

*N.Bosanquet and K.Sikora. The Economics of Cancer Care. Cambridge University Press paperback 2011.