Preventable Cancer Estimated to Cost Japan 1 T. Yen

From Jiji

August 1 2023

TOKYO – Japan had as of 2015 incurred some 1 trillion yen in costs caused by cancer that could have been prevented through appropriate measures, such as quitting smoking, an estimate by a study team including the National Cancer Center showed Tuesday.

The team found that cancer’s total economic burden on Japanese society amounted to an estimated 2,859.7 billion yen. Of the total, 1,024 billion yen was attributed to preventable cancer, with the figure broken down by 673.8 billion yen for men’s diseases and 350.2 billion yen for women’s.

To evaluate burdens from cancer, the team added up medical costs and labor losses due to deaths and onset estimated on the basis of the number of patients as of 2015.

The survey also found that cancer in men’s stomach cost 139.3 billion yen and in women’s stomach 72.8 billion yen, making stomach cancer the heaviest burden regardless of sex. Meanwhile, lung cancer came second for men, with a cost of 127.6 billion yen, and cervical cancer did so for women, with 64 billion yen.

By risk factor, infection topped the list, creating the burden worth 478.8 billion yen, including 211 billion yen for stomach cancer caused by Helicobacter pylori and 64 billion yen for cervical cancer caused by human papillomavirus, or HPV.