4 questions | Applied Sciences homework help
- NAS Committee on Diet, Nutrition, and Cancer. Diet, Nutrition, and Cancer. Washington, D.C., 1982, National Academy Press.
Personal Glimpse Concern about Cost94 Two NIH scientists have urged cancer specialists, researchers, regulators, drug companies, insurance companies and the public to look more closely and set limits on the use and pricing of anticancer drugs. The scientists noted that 90% of the anticancer drugs and biologics approved by the FDA from 2004 through 2008 cost more than $20,000 for a 12-week regimen, but many offer an additional survival benefit of only 2 months or less. Cetuximab treatment of non-small cell lung cancer for 18 weeks costs about $80,000 but prolongs the patient’s life for a median of only 1.2 months. The researchers note that many studies that do produce a small survival benefit do not take into account the patient’s quality of life. To illustrate the absurdity of this cost, they also extrapolate that if all 550,000 people who die of cancer each year could be kept alive for a year at equivalent cost, the total would be $440 billion without any of them being cured. Trustworthy Sources of Advice about Cancer ACS: www.cancer.org (800) 227-2345 NCI: www.cancer.gov/aboutnci/cis (800) 226-4237 cancernet.nci.nih.gov cancertrials.nci.nih.gov Oncolink: oncolink.upenn.edu Quackwatch: www.quackwatch.org www.cancertreatmentwatch.org √ Consumer Tip Chapter Sixteen Cancer 347