The cost of cancer breast cancer
The average annual medical costs of cancer in the United States is $86.6 billion according to the National Institute of Health. Nationally, one in eight women are diagnosed with breast cancer, making it the second most common form of cancer after skin cancers.
The American Cancer Society estimates that 232,670 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in 2014. In the first year of being diagnosed with breast cancer the medical cost to an individual over the age of 65, before insurance, is $23,078 according to the National Cancer Institute. After that, the average cost per year goes to $2,207.
In the year that someone dies of breast cancer the average financial cost to the individual is $62,156. The ACA estimates that 40,000 women will die from breast cancer in 2014.
Financially, cancer has a large toll on the U.S. The total cost of cancer, including medical costs and estimated cost of lost production due to premature mortalities, is $216.6 billion according to the NIH.
However, millions of dollars are raised every year to combat the cost of cancer. Relay For Life is a national fundraiser by the ACA that is put on by students at Utah State University in the spring.
“Our biggest thing is mostly creating an awareness,” said Steven Wilcox, organizer for USU’s relay. “We’re looking to educate students on breast cancer and how it affects people. What we want is to understand that college students don’t have a lot of money, so therefore they can’t donate as much. So we’re hoping to leave an impact in their life so that later on in life they will donate to the cause.”
Despite Wilcox’s understanding that there is limited money to be donated by college students Relay For Life was able to pull in $30,000 last year, through the relay itself and other fundraisers put on by the student group.
“Last year all of the other Relays For Life throughout the state of Utah for college-level institutions were shut down besides Utah State’s, and it was mostly because they did not have a high enough participation,” Wilcox said. “Currently, the Aggies, we are the only college in the state of Utah that has a Relay For Life, which is the leading cancer fundraiser in the nation.”