Affordable oncologic care: A challenging goal

Abstract

Health care leaders and financial analysts predict that nearly 20% of the gross domestic product of the United States will be allocated to health care spending by the year 2021, and that the rising cost of cancer care in the nation will reach $173 billion annually by 2020, up from $125 billion in 2010. As a result, efforts are underway to control costs while still delivering high-quality care. experts outlined a vision for the use of new and existing tests, therapeutics, and procedures in a rational, evidence-based, and value-based manner. Proceedings and presentations from the session were summarized in a report published last fall in the Journal of Clinical Oncology (J Clin Oncol. 2013;31:4151-4157). Attendees included bioethicists, economists, and primary care physicians, as well as medical, surgical, and radiation oncologists. Three general areas were discussed: 1) cancer screening; 2) cancer therapeutics including systemic therapy, radiotherapy, and surgery; and 3) supportive care.