Department of Leukemia, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX.
Division of Hematology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN.
Mayo Clin Proc. 2015 Apr;90(4):500-4. doi: 10.1016/j.mayocp.2015.01.014. Epub 2015 Mar 16.
High cancer drug prices are a worsening trend in cancer care and are affecting patient care and our health care system. In the United States, the average price of cancer drugs for about a year of therapy increased from $5000 to $10,000 before 2000 to more than $100,000 by 2012, while the average household income has decreased by about 8% in the past decade. Further, although 85% of cancer basic research is funded through taxpayers' money, Americans with cancer pay 50% to 100% more for the same patented drug than patients in other countries. Bound by the Hippocratic Oath, oncologists have a moral obligation to advocate for affordable cancer drugs. In this article, we discuss the high cost of cancer drugs, the reasons for these high prices, the implications for patients and the health care system, and potential solutions to the problem.
癌症药物价格居高不下是癌症治疗中日益严重的趋势，正在影响患者的治疗和我们的医疗体系。在美国，2000 年之前，癌症药物的平均价格在一年的治疗期内从 5000 美元上涨到 10000 美元，而在过去的十年中，美国家庭的平均收入下降了约 8%。此外，尽管 85%的癌症基础研究资金来自纳税人的钱，但患有癌症的美国人购买同一种专利药物所支付的费用比其他国家的患者高出 50%至 100%。由于受到希波克拉底誓言的约束，肿瘤学家有道德义务倡导可负担得起的癌症药物。在本文中，我们讨论了癌症药物的高成本、这些高价格的原因、对患者和医疗体系的影响，以及解决这个问题的潜在方案。
