Lifetime costs of the top five cancers in Taiwan.

The purpose of this study was to determine cancer-related medical care costs for long-term cancer care costs of breast, cervical, liver, lung, and colorectal cancer. Data were sourced from Taipei Veterans General Hospital cancer registry and claim data during 1999-2002. Besides, claimed data from National Health Insurance were used to match the comparison group. To estimate lifetime cost (10 years), the whole disease process was divided into initial, continuing, and terminal three phases. The expected lifetime cost of a specific cancer patient was estimated by incorporating the average phase-specific costs with the survival rate and mortality rate. The undiscounted average lifetime costs (10 years) for lung cancer, colorectal cancer, liver cancer, cervical cancer, and breast cancer were NT$448,371 (1USD≒NTD 33), NT$584,985, NT$351,222, NT$511,563, and NT$674,282 (in 2002 NTD), respectively. The aggregate lifetime cost of cancer is useful for health policymaking and clinical decision-making.