When researching on the real cost of caner for individual Australians, the numbers can be very overwhelming according to the research from Cancer Council Australia. With an average cost per household or per person for their entire lifetime of $47,200.

What are cancer patients in Australia paying for?

These costs are broken into two parts. The first is the out of pocket costs which is a common term that refers to the cost of your diagnosis, treatment and recovery.

The second type of cost are the loss income. When an individual falls ill and is in the process of receiving treatment, they are most likely unable to work or continue engaging in employment for an extended period of time. As a result, individuals may have to forgo work completely, or out of function of a business or company, are made redundant due to their inability to continue working.

Individuals may also experience further loss of income if they are unable to work after treatment and recovery. This may be due to the side effects caused by the treatment to remove the cancer.

Full time caring or the cost of a carer is also another consideration for families with an individual with cancer. This is an added cost and can affect not only 1 income stream but 2.

What Are The Most Expensive Cancers?

Given that brain cancers can have extensive and lifetime impacts, brain cancer is the most expensive type of cancer that an individual can have. The cost can add up to $149,400.

This can be compared to the least expensive which is Melanoma at $16,100.

Note that these are the lifetime costs that can incur on average. There are many cases which have exceeded these costs.