According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), approximately one in nine men and one in 12 women die from cancer every year. The IARC report for 2022 reports 20 million new cases and 9.7 million deaths worldwide. The most common cancers are lung cancer (12.4% of all cases in the world) and breast cancer (11.6%).
The highest cancer incidence rates are in countries such as Denmark (334.9 people per 100 thousand population), Ireland (326.6) and Belgium (322.8). These indicators may be due to factors such as genetic predisposition, lifestyle and environmental exposure. These countries have also an effective system for reporting the examination and diagnosis of cancer.
The list of countries with the lowest cancer incidence includes mainly developing countries of the African continent and Asia, such as Niger (76.4 people per 100 thousand population), Gambia (79.3), Nepal (80), etc. However, low rates do not mean that there are fewer cancer patients in these countries than in more developed countries. In general, countries' demographics, limited access to healthcare and lifestyle factors may contribute to low incidence rates.
According to the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Kazakhstan, as of late 2023, 218 thousand Kazakhstanis are on cancer record-list and more than 12 thousand people have died from cancer. Approximately 40 thousand people are annually diagnosed with cancer in the country. Global average survival rate for cancer patients has increased dramatically in recent years due to the development and implementation of new medical technologies, timely diagnosis and critical illness insurance. The highest survival rate is in patients with prostate cancer and breast cancer - 78.9% and 78.4%, respectively, of the total number of patients with these types of cancer.
According to Placidway, the average price of cancer treatment worldwide is $6,220 (2,793,204 tenge). Prices for cancer treatment can vary from $380 (170,645 tenge) to $193,000 (86,670,181 tenge).
Cancer treatment is considered one of the most expensive. Therefore, in many countries of the world, including Kazakhstan, there is critical illness insurance, which covers cancer treatment and patient rehabilitation.
A health subscription under the Freedom Health program has been in effect since 2021 in Kazakhstan. It provides for treatment abroad worth up to $1 million, cardiac surgery, transplantation, rehabilitation and other expensive medical services. Subscription costs start at $15.18 a month per person. You can choose the most convenient way of payment for you. In addition, there are family and corporate packages.
Photos are from open sources.