One in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime, overtaking heart disease as the greatest health threat facing Australian women. Diagnosis and treatment for breast cancer has a large economic impact on the Australian health budget, and the individual household budgets of those diagnosed and their families.
A Cancer Council New South Wales report from 2007 found that a 35-year-old woman with breast cancer faces up to $40,300 in out-of-pocket expenses and lost productivity, on average . We anticipate these costs will have increased since 2007. The report also found that individuals bear around 40% of the financial cost of their cancer, with government, society, family and friends, and employers sharing the remaining costs.
A survey of 1,326 women diagnosed with breast cancer through Breast Cancer Network Australia’s (BCNA) membership in 2013 found that 41% of respondents had experienced ‘a lot’ or ‘quite a bit’ of financial pressure as a result of their breast cancer. They nominated this as an advocacy priority for BCNA.
A further BCNA survey in 2014 of more than 580 women with secondary breast cancer found that two thirds of respondents said that their diagnosis had caused financial difficulty. Financial costs increase markedly for women who develop metastases.
This presentation will draw on a range of recent BCNA research to highlight the extent of the contributing factors to financial costs and challenges experienced as a direct result of breast cancer.
The presentation will highlight key BCNA advocacy strategies to address the financial impact on women and their families, and the role that health professionals may play in this.
BCNA is the largest cancer consumer organisation in Australia representing over 95,000 individuals who have been affected by breast cancer.