Difference In What Medicare Spends On Cancer Care May Not Affect Survival Rates

Although Medicare spending for patients with advance cancers varies regionally, a new study suggests that those differences are not related to survival rates.

The study, published Tuesday in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, examined Medicare spending on patients with advanced lung, colorectal, pancreatic, breast, and prostate cancers. Cancer care costs account for approximately 10 percent of Medicare payments and effective treatments to “prolong survival in this population are limited,” the researchers noted.

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Source: Kaiser Health News