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Cancer
Cancer is not just one disease; but a group of almost one hundred diseases. It is defined as uncontrolled growth and proliferation of abnormal cells. In some instances these cells spread to other areas of the body (metastatic cancer). The statistics below do not include skin cancers.
Why Employers Care?
Cancer is caused by:
- Behavior — tobacco use, diet, physical activity, sunscreen use
- Environment — radiation, chemicals, sun exposure
- Genetics — family history, DNA mutations
The most common cancers:
The leading causes of cancer deaths:
Scope of the Problem
- New cases estimated for 2009: 1,479,350 (766,130 men and 713,220 women)1
- Deaths estimated for 2009: 562,3401
- 1 in 2 men and women will be diagnosed with some form of cancer during their lifetime.1
Costs
- The annual total US spending on all cancers total $97.58 billion, a mean spending of $9,753 per person.2
- More than half the direct medical costs are due to treatment of breast, lung, and prostate cancers.
- Individuals with cancer represent only 1.6% of commercially insured population but account for 10% of employers' medical claims costs.3
- Cancer is the second leading cause of long term disability4 and the sixth leading cause of short term disability claims in the U.S.
- Patients with cancer report nearly double the days of impairment during a one month period than reported for any other chronic condition
What Can Employers Do?
Employers should educate their employees about prevention and screening for certain types of cancers. See specific cancer types for more detailed recommendations.
All Business Group Cancer Resources/Publications
This link will take you to a chronological list of Business Group resources that are related to this topic. For additional search options please visit Publications. Most resources are available only to members of the National Business Group on Health and are designated with  . |
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Other Cancer Resources
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