How many billions of dollars are spent on cancer screening in the US annually?

DOTmed August 16, 2024
Gus Iversen

For all its benefits, nobody said cancer screening was going to be cheap. A new study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, endeavors to put a price tag on annual cancer screening in the U.S., and the total cost they came up with is approximately $43 billion in 2021.

The study, “The Annual Cost of Cancer Screening in the United States,” focuses on screenings for breast, cervical, colorectal, lung, and prostate cancers. The analysis used national health care survey data to calculate the costs, which are primarily borne by private insurance (88.3%), followed by Medicare (8.5%), and Medicaid or other government programs (3.2%).

Colorectal cancer screening, particularly colonoscopy, was the most significant cost driver, accounting for approximately 64% of...

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