Prostate Cancer Economics

Prostate cancer is a major economic industry in the United States. It has high prevalence and incidence rates, in conjunction with long expected survival; therefore, the costs of treatment for an individual often accrue for many years. The two major contributors to the cost of treatment are radical prostatectomy and luteinizing hormone–releasing hormone (LHRH) agonists. Radiation therapy, either as external beam or brachytherapy, is an increasingly important source of expenditure as well. Prostate cancer research receives funding from a large number of private and public sources. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is the federal government's umbrella organization through which the majority of appropriations are funneled. Prostate cancer research funding by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) has significantly increased since 1998. In the early 1990s, the annual allocation grew from $13 million in 1990 to $71 million in 1996. Even with these increases, the 1996 funding level for prostate cancer ranked among the lowest four cancers by incidence. However, with mandates from Congress to expand funding of prostate and breast cancer, the levels continued to rise. By 2000, prostate cancer funding was second only to breast cancer's $438.7 million.