The long-term cost of cancer treatment is so high that only 20% of patients regularly go for treatment, according to local researchers.
Middle-income families struggle to bear more than the cost of core treatment procedures, while poorer families are often completely deprived of care, they added.
Dhaka Tribune contacted the health experts for their remarks on cancer treatment in the country on the occasion of World Cancer Day on Friday.
The National Institute of Cancer Research and Hospital (NICRH) estimates that there are over 250,000 cancer patients in the country, but only 50,000 regularly go for treatment.
NICRH Head of Oncology Dr Habibullah Talukdar said many patients also go undetected until it is far too late to effectively treat their condition.
Dr Syed Abdul Hamid, professor at the Institute of Health Economics (IHE) under Dhaka University, said a single cancer patient needs approximately Tk639,000 annually.
“The long-term treatment cost quickly exceeds the cost of core procedures. Patients also frequently need to travel to various different places for different parts of their treatment,” he added.
The costs include charges for consultations, diagnosis, surgical or therapeutic procedures, drugs and injections, transport, and accommodation for the patient and attendants.
Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University Hospital (BSMMU) Department of Clinical Oncology Chairman Dr Abdul Bari said the number of cancer patients was increasing in the country, and preparations need to be taken so that they can access treatment.
The health experts said cancer treatment should be brought under an insurance mechanism to make it more affordable. More expensive treatment drugs should be produced by state-owned pharmaceuticals to reduce their cost.
VC of BSMMU Dr Sharfuddin Ahmed said it is high time to close the gaps in the healthcare services for cancer patients.
Changing trends
A recent study by BSMMU found that about 60% of new cancer patients admitted to the hospital were female, while about 40% were male.
Meanwhile, physicians at NICRH said cancer patients used to mostly come from urban areas, but more farmers had been seeking treatment for the disease over the past few years.
The doctors suspect unhealthy diets, contaminated air, and overuse of chemicals was behind the increasing number of patients from rural areas.
According to IARC, Lung cancer, prostate cancer and colorectum are the most common among men, together accounting for over one-third of all male cancers. However, throat, lung and oral cancer are more prevalent in Bangladesh.
Throat cancer most prevalent among men, breast cancer among women
Throat cancer was the most prevalent cancer among men in Bangladesh in 2020, while breast cancer remained the most prevalent cancer among women, according to data from The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) said.
The leading types of cancers among Bangladeshi men were throat (13.9%), lung (11.1%) and oral cancer (10.6%). For women, they were breast (19%), cervical (12%), and throat cancer (11.1%).
The organization said Bangladesh detected 156,775 new cases in 2020, with 88,075 of the patients being men and 68,700 women.
According to the report, some 270,866 people in the country were going under treatment in 2020, while 108,990 people died from the disease that year.
Data from health authorities show that around 67% of deaths in Bangladesh are caused by non-communicable diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, high blood pressure, chronic kidney and breathing problems.