by Elana Gotkine

Adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer survivors incur costs of $259,324 over their lifetime, according to a study published online Feb. 24 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

Susan K. Parsons, M.D., from Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston, and colleagues estimated the incidence of cancer in 2019 among AYAs aged 15 to 39 years from the U.S. Cancer Statistics Public Use Database and projected relative survival from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program.

Total costs incurred by AYA after cancer diagnosis were estimated, with cost domains including health system, productivity, and well-being costs. The components were estimated based on published literature and pooled data from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey from 2008 to 2012.

The researchers found that AYAs had substantial economic and human costs of cancer at $23.5 billion overall, corresponding to a cost over the lifetime of $259,324 per person. AYA cancer survivors bear the majority of the costs themselves in terms of lost productivity, loss of well-being, and loss of life.

"Every adolescent and young adult diagnosed with cancer deserves access to specialized services that improve their quality of life during and after treatment," a co-author said in a statement. "Our goal is to expand the nationwide community of support and aggressively push for innovative solutions across the continuum of care that will ultimately lower the long-term financial impact of a cancer diagnosis."

More information: Susan K. Parsons et al, Cost of Cancer in Adolescents and Young Adults in the United States: Results of the 2021 Report by Deloitte Access Economics, Commissioned by Teen Cancer America, Journal of Clinical Oncology (2023). DOI: 10.1200/JCO.22.01985

Journal information: Journal of Clinical Oncology 

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