The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) has carried out two complementary studies on lung cancer in Latin America: an analysis of the economic costs and an assessment of the policy response (the Latin America Lung Cancer Traffic Lights).
- The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) has carried out two complementary studies on lung cancer in Latin America: an analysis of the economic costs and an assessment of the policy response (the Latin America Lung Cancer Traffic Lights).
- Lung cancer is Latin America’s deadliest cancer, with a significant societal impact. Despite the large impact, lung-cancer research and care receives low funding.
- Lung-cancer patients are often blamed for their own disease in Latin America. As a result of stigma and high mortality, lung cancer seems to be treated as a second-class cancer.
- The policy response in the region is insufficient. Our traffic-light system shows most green lights in tobacco control and data quality, but other key areas of lung-cancer control lag behind, including for example non-tobacco prevention, early diagnosis, access to care, treatment, information and advocacy, and non-curative services.
Widespread stigma undermines various elements of lung-cancer control in Latin America, according to a new report published today (September 18th) by The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU).
The report “Lung cancer in Latin America: Time to stop looking away”, commissioned by Roche, investigates the economic burden of lung cancer in 12 Latin American countries together with the state of policies and outcomes to control it in the region.
In the 12 Latin American countries included in the study more than 60,000 people die each year from lung cancer (12% of all cancer deaths). The EIU estimates the direct costs of lung cancer for the year 2016 at US$823m in Brazil and at US$1.35bn for all 12 countries combined, including diagnosis, treatment and palliative care. Indirect costs (arising out of lost productivity from work absence and early mortality) are significant too, at US$286m for the 12 countries.
Despite this substantial societal impact, there’s surprisingly low funding for lung-cancer research and care. Experts and surveys highlight that high mortality and stigma seem to be major root causes for this neglect.
As a result of stigma and high mortality, lung cancer seems to be treated as a second-class cancer. Some public health coverage programmes do not even cover lung cancer, for example Mexico’s Seguro Popular and Chile’s Régimen de Garantías Explícitas en Salud.
Stigma also plays a role in social isolation for patients and in the low levels of lung-cancer advocacy in the region. We found no evidence of any study country with a formal effort, either self-standing or as part of the national cancer control plan, to address lung-cancer stigma.
The EIU assessed stigma as part of the “early diagnosis” category in the Latin America Lung Cancer Traffic Lights, a new tool to evaluate the policy response to lung cancer in the region. Stigma was the only indicator on which every country received a red light (indicating an urgent need for attention).
Apart from early diagnosis, the policy traffic lights also assess efforts in tobacco control; access; treatment; non-curative services; non-tobacco prevention; information and advocacy; and data quality.
Martin Koehring, the editor of the report, said: “Our policy traffic lights show that addressing stigma should be a starting point for an effective policy response in the region. The traffic lights can help lung-cancer stakeholders, including policymakers, patient advocates, healthcare professionals and the media, to identify the policy areas that require attention for each of the 12 countries.”
About the research
Lung cancer in Latin America: Time to stop looking away examines the burden of lung cancer in Latin America and how well countries in the region are addressing the challenge. Its particular focus is on 12 countries in Central and South America, chosen for various factors including size and level of economic development: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay. The study looks in detail at the disease burden as well as the economic and social burden of lung cancer in the region. The EIU developed a model to provide insight into the economic impact of lung cancer in the 12 study countries in Latin America.
We also introduce a major tool for stakeholders seeking to understand the policy response to lung cancer: the Latin America Lung Cancer Traffic Lights. The traffic-light system assesses national policy approaches, and to some extent outcomes, in Latin America. The EIU performed a rapid literature review to identify key issues around lung cancer in Latin America. We then held an advisory board meeting with regional experts in order to determine on which key categories, called domains, to focus. Following the advisory board’s recommendations, we split the domains into three Priority Traffic Lights (those without which other progress would be impossible) and five Important Traffic Lights, which, while still crucial for successfully addressing the lung cancer challenge, were deemed less central than the Priority Traffic Lights.
The three Priority Lights are as follows: tobacco control, access, and early diagnosis. The Important Lights include the following five domains: treatment, non-curative services, non-tobacco prevention, information and advocacy, and data quality. The purpose of the traffic-light system is not to rank countries or single out countries performing less well. Rather, it will serve as the starting point for further discussion on policy progress and gaps that are further explored in the white paper.
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Martin Koehring, Managing Editor & Global Healthcare Lead – Thought Leadership
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About The Economist Intelligence Unit
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About Roche
Roche is a large biotech company and provider of cancer-care products. It combines pharmaceuticals and diagnostics to provide personalised healthcare, with the aim to bring the right treatment to the right patient at the right time. Roche has been committed to sustainability for more than 120 years in over 150 countries, focusing on increasing access to healthcare for all.
