The financial crisis may be to blame for 500,000 additional cancer deaths worldwide between 2008 and 2010 as cuts to healthcare and unemployment swept nations. That’s according to a shocking study published in the UK medical journal,
The study, which observed the link between unemployment, public healthcare spending and cancer mortality between 1990 and 2010, suggests that had universal care been provided in the countries affected, these additional deaths would likely have been avoided. Britain, which provides free healthcare to all citizens, suffered no crisis-linked deaths – in the US, there were 18,000.
Sufferers of treatable cancers fared worst“The figures were extrapolated from an observed rise in cancer deaths for every percentage increase in unemployment, and every drop in public healthcare spending,” explains a French press agency in an article for
The Telegraph.
The study, which began 26 years ago, covers more than 70 countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) with a combined population of more than two billion. It found that for every 1% increase in unemployment for every 100,000 people, there were 0.37 additional cancer deaths.
Mahiben Maruthappu of Imperial College London, who conducted the study, is quoted in the article. “We found that increased unemployment was associated with an increased cancer mortality. This was especially the case for treatable cancers including breast, prostate and colorectal cancer.”
Two US-based researchers who were involved in the study, Graham Colditz and Karen Emmons, said that it puts forward “a strong case for universal health coverage and its protective effect on cancer mortality”.
The Telegraph article
Crucial to understand economic changes260,000
The number of excess cancer-related deaths in OECD countries between 2008 and 2010Writing for
Deutsche Welle, Lewis Sanders IV cites figures from the study. There were 260,000 excess cancer-related deaths in OECD countries, he reports.
But Sanders notes that the study focused only on OECD countries, and that according to Maruthappu, the worldwide figure could be more like 500,000.
Sanders quotes from the report: “Universal health care seems to protect against this effect.” And goes on to quote Maruthappu: “Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide, so understanding how economic changes affect cancer survival is crucial.”
Deutsche Welle article
Clear messageA
CBC News article on the topic focused on the views of another of the scientists who led the study.
Dr Rifat Atun, Professor of Global Health Systems at Harvard Chan School in Boston said that the “message is very clear”.
“Unemployment does lead to excess number of cancer deaths but if there are strong health systems and if public health expenditure increases, many of these cancer deaths can be reduced.”
Atun called on governments to provide “value for money and value for many” by offering truly universal healthcare for their citizens.
Offering an external view, the article quotes Dr. Andrew Pinto, Clinician-Scientist at St Michael's Hospital in Toronto.
He went on to say that the results “teach us a lesson” not only about the link between unemployment and health, but also about how governments “choose to respond”.
CBC News report
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