Credit score: Jakembradford, Wikimedia
Radiation remedy remedy for breast most cancers not solely improves survival charges but in addition generates long-term monetary advantages, in line with a brand new research from the College of Copenhagen.
Survivors of sickness and illness usually endure financial hardship equivalent to diminished employment as they recuperate from remedy. More and more, the well being group and policymakers are investigating whether or not remedies can have nonmedical advantages that scale back these financial prices.
In a brand new research, a gaggle of economists investigated how radiation remedy, a remedy that makes use of excessive power rays to kill most cancers cells, impacts Danish breast most cancers sufferers’ threat of dying and their labor market efficiency.
Breast most cancers supplies a superb alternative to think about the nonmedical advantages of remedy. “It is the most common cancer worldwide. In 2020 alone, more than 2.2 million new cases were detected,” says N. Meltem Daysal, affiliate professor on the Division of Economics and the Heart for Financial Conduct and Inequality on the College of Copenhagen.
“Furthermore, about a third of breast cancer patients are diagnosed between the ages of 25 and 54, which are the prime working ages. Finally, survival rates are high—more than 90% of patients in high-income countries are still alive five years after diagnosis,” she says.
The research, titled “Do Medical Treatments Work for Work? Evidence from Breast Cancer Patients,” is revealed within the American Financial Journal: Financial Coverage.
Radiation remedy extends working life
For the research, Daysal and her fellow researchers used registry information on almost 40,000 Danish girls recognized with breast most cancers between 1990 and 1998. The research took benefit of a change in Danish medical tips in 1995 that expanded eligibility for radiation remedy with out affecting different remedy allocations.
This alteration permits researchers to evaluate the results of radiation remedy with out confounding from different remedies.
The researchers discovered that radiation remedy diminished the danger of dying inside 10 years of analysis by roughly 35%.
Along with enhancing survival charges, radiation remedy was discovered to have quite a lot of optimistic results on sufferers’ working lives.
“Women who received radiation therapy were 37% more likely to be working 10 years after diagnosis compared to women who did not receive radiation therapy. And women who received radiation therapy had on average 45% higher income 10 years after diagnosis compared to women who did not receive radiation therapy,” explains Daysal.
Financial advantages should be factored into the equation
The researchers emphasize the broader implications of those findings for well being coverage and financial planning. “While the primary goal of cancer treatment is to save lives, our research underscores that medical interventions like radiation therapy can also generate substantial economic benefits—even in a country like Denmark, which has universal access to health care and a strong social safety net,” says Daysal.
“With cancer treatment costs rising globally, these findings reinforce the need for policymakers to consider the economic advantages of medical interventions. Our study provides compelling evidence that investments in effective cancer treatments can yield significant long-term societal benefits,” concludes Daysal.
Extra info:
N. Meltem Daysal et al, Do Medical Therapies Work for Work? Proof from Breast Most cancers Sufferers, American Financial Journal: Financial Coverage (2025). DOI: 10.1257/pol.20240133
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College of Copenhagen
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Breast most cancers remedies can enhance each survival probabilities and revenue (2025, November 17)
retrieved 17 November 2025
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