In the advanced stage of cancer, should we spend money on targeted drugs to prolong life? There are hardships behind the answer

 1. How much does it cost to treat cancer?

    As the saying goes, "return to pre-liberation after a sickness." So, how much does it cost to treat cancer patients in my country?

    In 2016, The Lancet published an empirical study. Studies have shown that the average annual treatment cost per capita for six common cancers in my country, including lung cancer and stomach cancer, is about 68,000 yuan. However, the per capita disposable income of Chinese residents was only 24,000 yuan, which is obviously not enough to afford the high cancer medical expenses. In addition, the conditions of the patients are not the same, and some patients with severe conditions need to pay for cancer medical expenses much higher than the average.

    In 2019, a report in the Chinese Journal of Oncology pointed out that the annual medical expenses for malignant tumors in my country exceed 220 billion yuan. For many ordinary families, this is really a very large number.

    And cancer medical expenses are so high, mainly because of hospitalization and prescription drug expenses.

2. Is the targeted drug worth eating?

    In recent years, many cancer patients will choose targeted therapy and take targeted drugs to avoid the pain of radiotherapy and improve the efficacy.

    However, most targeted drugs are expensive, and whether they are included in my country's medical insurance catalogue directly affects the price of targeted drugs. For example, when the targeted drug osimertinib was first approved in my country, the price was more than 50,000 yuan; however, after being included in medical insurance in 2018, the price of osimertinib was reduced to 15,300 yuan.

    This year, the medical insurance price of osimertinib has been lowered again, and the drug can be purchased for 5580 yuan. After the medical insurance was launched, the price was cut again to only 5580 yuan. In addition, if the local medical insurance reimbursement ratio is 70%, it means that the patient only needs to bear about 1,600 yuan.

    It can be said that the medical insurance reform has reduced a lot of financial burdens for cancer patients, and the role of targeted drugs in the treatment of cancer is also obvious.

    Medical experts believe that selecting the right targeted drug can effectively control the patient's condition and save treatment time and cost; but note that if the wrong targeted drug is selected, it will not only delay treatment, but also waste money and time. Therefore, whether to take targeted drugs should be considered based on the cancer condition, the patient's physical condition and economic conditions.

    If cancer patients do not choose to take targeted drugs, they can also choose other suitable treatments according to their own conditions. Take lung cancer as an example: lung cancer is the malignant tumor with the highest morbidity and mortality in my country. In addition to targeted therapy and taking targeted drugs, its treatment methods include surgery, radiotherapy, immunotherapy, and so on.