Groundbreaking Cancer Treatments Emerge But Is It A Cost We Can Afford?
With cancer affecting 1 in every two people in the world, the need for more targeted treatments is essential. But the developing of these treatments are a costly expense, with some single courses of treatment running into hundreds of thousands of dollars and the total estimated costs of all cancer treatment by 2020 is around $150 billion dollars.
With cancer affecting 1 in every two people in the world, the need for more targeted treatments is essential. But the developing of these treatments are a costly expense, with some single courses of treatment running into hundreds of thousands of dollars and the total estimated costs of all cancer treatment by 2020 is around $150 billion dollars.
The IMS Institute for Healthcare Informatics claim there are more than 500 companies that are currently working to develop cancer treating drugs, so it is a big business. These companies are work around the clock to try and make more targeted drugs to help save the lives of those diagnosed with terminal cancer.
When determining the best way to treat a patient, doctors need to look at all the factors before reaching their decision, which is not always an easy thing to do. If a treatment plan is going to cost hundreds of thousands of dollars but will only prolong the patient’s life by a couple of weeks maximum, then is this really worth it?
Keytruda is a drug that is often issued to treat cancer patients, and does have a success rate of around 30% but comes with a hefty price tag with some treatments costing over $100,000. To try and obtain better results, scientists are conducting tests to combine up to three different immunotherapies simultaneously.
So, this could be the solution for cancer treatment, but what the cost implications of combining these immunotherapies are yet to be seen. Further tests are needed to ensure the right combination, if any, is needed and in what circumstance and trials will continue for some time.
More News To Read
- Autonomous Transatlantic Self-Sailing Solar Ship Set To Break Records as it Crosses the Atlantic
- Going Back to His Roots With Glass Gem Corn
- World’s First Hydrogen Plug-in Vehicle Will Be Ready Next Year
- Researchers Predict A Massive Rise in the Use of Autonomous Cars By 2040
- Excitement Looms as Astronomers Seek to Uncover the Universe With the James Webb Telescope
Related Coverage
- Actually, Oculus Headset Will Cost More Than $600
- Is Metformin the World’s Next Wonder Drug? Can It Block Cancer Cell Growth?
- We Can Now Gain A Deeper Understanding of Autism With New VR App
- Breakthrough in Tuberculosis Treatment Comes in the Form of Bacterial Proteins
- Plotting the World By Airports
Don't miss new tech stories on Google
Add TrendinTech once in the Google app and our stories appear in your news suggestions.
Helena Marsh
Helena Marsh is the Editor-in-Chief at TrendinTech, where she leads editorial strategy and oversees coverage across artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and enterprise technology. With more than a decade in technology journalism on both sides of the Atlantic, she previously served as a senior editor at Wired UK and covered the technology sector for The Guardian, following the rise of the big platforms, the Cambridge Analytica scandal and the regulatory push from Brussels and Washington. Helena holds an MA in Journalism from City, University of London and is a regular speaker at Web Summit in Lisbon and CES in Las Vegas. She believes technology reporting should be rigorous and plainly written, so readers understand what actually changes for them rather than what a company's announcement promises.
All stories by Helena Marsh (201)