Although 75% of cancer deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries, over half of the total costs will occur in high-income countries. The United States and China will bear the highest economic burden, partially due to the country's large populations, but also high U.S. healthcare costs. 

"People outside the cancer community may be surprised to see the extent of cancer's economic cost,” said André Ilbawi, a technical lead in cancer control at the World Health Organization. But these kinds of studies show that "the economic cost of cancer is undeniable."

In the study, the researchers outlined where countries can invest to mitigate the economic costs of cancer:

1. Medical research and development to reduce cancer incidence, prevalence, and mortality
2. Research to identify cost-effective public health interventions
3. Efforts to strengthen primary care and include cost-effective cancer screening programs in insurance packages
4. Cancer prevention efforts, such as tobacco taxes or public smoking bans

"Addressing cancer is expensive. But the cost of not addressing cancer is even higher," said Simiao Chen, a health economist at HIGH and the study's lead author. (Taylor, Becker's Hospital Review, 3/7; Kreier, Nature, 3/7; Chen et al., JAMA Oncology, 2/23)