While patients battle breast cancer, clinical executive at Profmed Justine Lacy highlighted that the journey to healing is financially daunting.
Profmed is one of South Africa’s longest-running medical aid schemes that has been in operation for six decades.
According to a medical article by “Turnberry”, an insurance scheme, oncology patients face a financial burden of between R10 000 and R450 000 towards treatment per year, depending on the required treatment.
The most well-known and oldest method of surgically treating breast cancer is mastectomy, which involves a procedure of having the entire breast removed from the body, leaving the patient with a flat chest and a scar.
Lacy listed Keytruda, a cancer treatment, costs about R100 000 per cycle.
“By costs, we mean not just treatment and care but the emotional and physical toll that a cancer diagnosis has on a person. There is a lot of innovative medication that’s coming on the line, and a lot of immunotherapies like Keytruda, which costs about R100 000 per cycle and a member can be on it for up to two years. This costs about R2 million for a treatment regimen,” said Lacy.
The journey to healing may force primary caregivers of cancer patients to resign from work to take care of their loved ones.
Additionally, an article by another insurance organisation, “Aynjil”, highlighted that all forms of cancer have a long-term effect on finances, stating a patient can lose their job due to extended sickness and medical aid may not cover all treatment costs, among others.
Thus, Lacy explained that early detection of the disease can be less expensive.
“Early detection results in a more cost-effective scenario. The importance of early detection is the fact it’s not just cost effective to have a lump detected early, but it also saves the member a whole lot of emotional and physical distress.
“If breast cancer is diagnosed at an advanced stage, it has a whole host of complications, including metastasis, which has a ripple effect on the patient, their family, and friends. If you can detect a lump early, they can actually do a minor procedure to remove it and you can move on with your life,” said Lacy.
With breast cancer being the most common cancers among women, Profmed ambassador and medical doctor, Dr Moratwe Masima, emphasised the importance of early diagnosis.
The Cancer Association of South Africa (Cansa) revealed that approximately 19.4 million women aged 15 and above face the risk of being diagnosed with breast cancer.
Both breast and cervical cancer have been identified as national priorities with increasing incidences occurring.
Masima explained that cancer can be hereditary if one’s family has a history of generational cancer diagnosis.
“For patients diagnosed with cancer, they would have to be screened much earlier than someone else who does not have a family history of breast cancer,” said Masima.
She urged the public to spark conversation about cancer in order to encourage early detection and save lives.
As the risk of breast cancer increases as women grow older, many women under the age of 40 find themselves diagnosed with the disease.
Therefore, Cansa encouraged women from the age of 40-years-old to go for an annual mammogram for non–symptomatic breast screening.
“Women 55 years and older should have a mammogram every two years – or if they choose, continue with an annual mammogram. Women, who have other risk factors such as mutated BReast CAncer gene 1 or 2, should be referred for an annual mammogram,” said Cansa.
The Star