Economic Benefits of Early Detection of Breast Cancer
| "For society, the total economic burden of cancer is increased by the lost productivity of survivors who quit working, reduce their hours, or have disabilities that limit the kind of work they can do."
— Short, PM et al. "Employment Pathways in a Large Cohort of Adult Cancer Survivors." Cancer. 103.6 (2005): 1292-1301. |
|
In addition to saving lives, early breast cancer detection through mammography offers important economic benefits, according to a 2005 study in the American Cancer Society journal, Cancer.1
The study of 1433 cancer survivors found that breast cancer survivors are among the most likely to go back to work or remain on the job for several years after treatment. The reason, according to the researchers, is that mammography detects breast cancer early, when treatments are most effective.
The study, which explored the impact of various types of cancer on employment, found that 4 out of 5 cancer survivors either continued working or returned to their jobs within several years of their treatment. The researchers found that patients with breast cancer, cancer of the uterus, melanoma, and thyroid cancer were most likely to return to work.
The cancer study underscores a key fact: returning to work is a significant outcome measurement in determining the success of treatment.
1 Short, PM et al. "Employment Pathways in a Large Cohort of Adult Cancer Survivors." Cancer. 103.6 (2005): 1292-1301.
|
