Cancer-Drug Costs Skyrocket, Leaving Even Insured Patients in Financial Ruin

An increase in cancer cases is putting pressure on Americans already facing a difficult situation—exorbitant drug prices, a lack of regulation, and a system that seems designed to profit, according to experts.

With medical debt burying patients, the battle against cancer is taking a new financial front that could bankrupt many cancer patients.

Emerging Patterns in Cancer Data

For more than seven decades, cancer has remained among the top two leading causes of death. Well over one-third of the U.S. population will confront a cancer diagnosis during their lifetime, according to National Cancer Institute estimates.

A new study published in JAMA Network Open analyzing cancer data from 3.8 million patients reveals a trend—Generation X, those born between 1965 and 1980, is experiencing a sharper rise in cancer rates across major types than any previous generation dating back to 1908. This trajectory suggests that elevated cancer incidence in the United States could persist for decades to come, representing a looming public health crisis.

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