The economic cost of cancer treatment in Iran

Sep 24, 2026

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Cancer imposes a major financial burden on healthcare systems and individual households worldwide, with rising treatment expenditures projected to accelerate further. This cross-sectional study quantified medical and non-medical direct costs for cancer prevention among patients hospitalized in 10 selected educational hospitals in Iran during 2020. Direct medical and non-medical out-of-pocket monthly costs were assessed for patients aged over 20 undergoing oncology treatments.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages6

Reading Time15 min

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Abstract

Background

Materials and Methods

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| Access this article online | | --- | | Quick Response Code: | | | | Website:
[www.jehp.net](www.jehp.net) | | DOI:
10.4103/jehp.jehp_928_21 | 1Associate Professor, Health Services Management, Health Management and Economics Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran, 2Student Research Committee, Health Management and Economics Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran, 3Health Information Technology Research Center, Student Research Committee, Department of Medical Library and Information Sciences, School of Management and Medical Information Sciences, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran Address for correspondence: Dr. Zahra Khakdel Jelodar, Student Research Committee, Health Management and Economics Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan 81746-73461, Iran. E-mail: jabbaria@mng. [mui.ac.ir](mui.ac.ir) Received: 24-06-2021 Accepted: 01-08-2022 Published: 31-01-2023 Original Article The economic cost of cancer treatment in Iran Alireza Jabbari1, Marziye Hadian2, Elaheh Mazaheri3, Zahra Khakdel Jelodar2 Abstract: BACKGROUND: With more than 12 million new cases of cancers and nearly 7.6 million deaths worldwide in 2020, cancer is currently the third leading cause of mortality in the world. The costs spent on treating patients with cancer account for a significant amount of healthcare costs. Healthcare expenditures for cancer treatment have also increased significantly and are projected to skyrocket further over the next decade. This study was conducted to determine medical and non‑medical direct costs for the prevention of cancer in patients hospitalized in 10 selected educational hospitals in Iran. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study employed a cross‑sectional design and was conducted in 10 selected educational hospitals in Tabriz, Tehran, Isfahan, Mashhad, and Shiraz in 2020. Using a researcher‑made questionnaire, we assessed direct medical costs and direct non‑medical costs of cancer in patients over 20 years old with kinds of breast, prostate, leukemia, lymphatic, stomach, liver, lung, bladder, uterine, and intestine cancers who undertook oncology treatments (n = 2410) . Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics including mean and standard deviation and analytic statistics such as Kolmogorov–Smirnov, analysis of variance, and t‑test, using SPSS 18 and P ≤0.05 . RESULT: The mean direct non-medical cost paid out of pocket per month was $99.6 ± $10.81 USD, and the mean direct medical cost per month was $1029.4 ± $68.5 USD. The total cost paid by the patients was $889.4 ± 69.81 USD per month. CONCLUSION: Given the increasing number of patients with cancer, it is necessary to increase the number of special centers for the prevention and treatment of cancers. Dissemination of information about the costs of illnesses and their complications enables decision-makers to make a proper comparison between different uses of resources. Moreover, to support the patients, the health system must implement plans to decrease out-of-pocket payments by patients. Keywords: Cancer, direct medical costs, direct non‑medical costs, economic cost, Iran Introduction Nearly 20 million people from around the world are currently living with cancer, which will probably exceed 30 million people by 2020.[1] Currently, cancer accounts for about 13% of all deaths worldwide, and of all patients with cancer; about 60% die regardless of their gender. It is estimated that over 70,000 new cases of cancer annually occur in Iran, and about 30,000 patients die from cancer annually.[2] Cancer has a significant impact on individuals and communities and results This is an open access journal, and articles are distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution‑NonCommercial‑ShareAlike 4.0 License, which allows others to remix, tweak, and build upon the work non‑commercially, as long as appropriate credit is given

FAQs

What was the purpose of the study?

To determine medical and non-medical direct costs related to the prevention of cancer in hospitalized patients in selected educational hospitals in Iran.

How was the study conducted and where?

It used a cross-sectional design in 10 selected educational hospitals in Tabriz, Tehran, Isfahan, Mashhad, and Shiraz in 2020.

What did the study report about patient costs per month?

The mean direct non-medical out-of-pocket cost per month was $99.6, and the mean direct medical cost per month was $1029.4; the total cost paid by patients averaged $889.4 per month.

Sep 24, 2026

Uploaded by Ivy