Breast cancer screening found to keep health, costs in check
Women who have regular breast cancer screenings have been found to have less out of pocket expenses if diagnosed with the disease, new research has found.
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Women who do not attend regular breast screenings are more likely to face out-of-pocket costs if diagnosed with cancer than those who do, new research has found.
A Monash University study has compared the difference in costs associated with breast cancer when diagnosed at a breast screening, against those when it is picked up via other means.
It found women who had regular screenings were more likely to detect the cancer at an early stage and need less serious treatments, resulting in lower costs associated with their care.
But if diagnosed at home or in the community, such as by detecting a lump themselves, women were more likely to need serious treatments with greater costs.
Monash Research Fellow Karrina Saxby led the study and says the results showed breast cancer could be devastating not only on a woman’s health, but on her bank balance too.
“The out of pocket costs for women are quite significant – and its important to note that’s on top of any normal medical costs,” she said.
“If you go through a breast screen, they can screen and detect the breast cancer earlier – it is better (for you) and it’s going to be cheaper.”
She added this could be particularly hard for women in rural or remote communities, who often had little access to screening services.
The study found on average women diagnosed outside of a screening incurred an additional $254 in out-of-pocket costs.
This was commonly for services that are free under the government’s screening program, BreastScreen, but have to be paid in full if diagnosed by a GP or at a hospital — such as mammographies and biopsies.
The costs were also found to increase significantly if the cancer was more advanced.
In extreme cases government expenditure could reach up to $30,000 — while individuals could be left with $2,000 in bills in the three years following diagnosis.
The price of prescription medications was also influenced.
Ms Saxby said many women suffered job or income loss as a result of their diagnosis, making it important for policymakers to understand how the costs were being felt.
“Given women can lose their job, or have reduced work hours as a result of cancer, these numbers are only scratching the surface of the full cost burden experienced by breast cancer patients,” she said.
“The hope is that this study will encourage women to do their regular screens — it is better and more awareness is always useful,” Ms Saxby said.
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