In this article, we discuss the 15 best countries for cancer treatment. If you want to skip our analysis of the oncology market, go directly to the 5 Best Countries for Cancer Treatment.
Cancer is one of the most painful, lethal, and widespread diseases in the world. According to International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), in 2020, the new cases of cancer increased to 19.3 million from 17 million in 2018. Additionally, the disease caused 10 million deaths in 2020 compared to 9.5 million in 2018. Moreover, the agency reports that 1 in 5 are prone to developing cancer in their lifetime and the number is larger in men. The most common type of cancer among women is found to be breast cancer while lung cancer is the most common in men.
According to an Economist Intelligence Unit report, cancer is responsible for direct or indirect economic costs of over $1 trillion per year. According to the report, between 2018 and 2040, the rise in lethal disease can reach up to 63% due to the aging population. The report further states that 59% of cases are reported in lower- and middle-income countries. However, due to the lower rate of cancer preparedness and access to better healthcare, 71% of the deaths are reported in those countries.
Oncology is one of the biggest and fastest growing sectors for biopharmaceuticals R&D. According to Precedence Research, the global oncology market was worth over $286 billion and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 8.2% by 2030 to $581.25 billion with the hospital segment expected to grow at a CAGR of 10.9% between the forecasted period. In 2021, the diagnostic segment covered close to 47% of the oncology market share.
According to a report by IQVIA, cancer medicine spending in 2021 was around $185 billion in 2021 and it is expected to reach $300 billion by 2026. The US was reported to be the largest market for cancer medicine spending in 2021 followed by some European countries. The report adds that as of 2022, close to 2200 oncology-related products were under development and 63% of them were being developed by emerging biopharma companies that had less than $500 million in annual sales and their research and development spending was less than $200 per annum. While the emerging companies have been increasing their product pipeline, the large pharmaceutical companies' oncology product pipeline is seen to be decreasing. The large pharma companies with over $10 billion in annual sales covered 23% of the products under development which is down from 39% in 2016.
Some of the major stocks that are involved in oncology services and R&D are Amgen Inc. (NASDAQ:AMGN), Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (NYSE:BMY), and Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD)
15 Best Countries for Cancer Treatment
Methodology
During our research of the "25 Best Hospitals for Cancer Treatment," we produced this list according to the number of best cancer hospitals in each country. We also took the 5-year survival rate of various types of cancer as a marker of quality cancer care. To better judge the quality of cancer treatment in each country, factors like treatment costs, prevention policies, cancer-related spending, availability of innovative treatments, accessibility to medical equipment and oncology specialists, hospitals, and the impact of the healthcare system are also taken into consideration.
Best Countries for Cancer Treatment
15. India
India is one of the best countries for cancer treatment due to the advanced technology used by the hospitals in the country and the ease of access to its hospitals. Hospitals such as Tata Memorial Center also offer free-of-cost treatment for most of their patients that cannot afford it. Furthermore, the country's Chennai Apollo Hospital is the only hospital in South Asia that offers proton therapy.
14. Netherlands
The Netherlands is one of the few countries in the EU where cancer mortality has decreased notably over the last decade, with an 11% decrease seen between 2011 and 2019. In 2020, the Netherlands’ expenditure on cancer prevention was higher than that of the EU’s average as it was 4.6% of current health spending while the EU’s average was only 3.4%.
The country places emphasis on early detection which is why it has three national screening programs for breast, cervical, and colorectal cancers. The Netherlands has a high density of radiotherapy centers and advanced CAR-T cell treatments are offered through eight centers. A few of the reasons behind the admirable cancer care quality are the rigorous clinical auditing system and the research-based Netherlands Cancer Registry which indirectly contributes to policymaking and more.
13. Sweden
Sweden ranks on the list of 15 best countries for cancer treatment because of its advancement in innovative cancer treatments, widespread use of interdisciplinary teams, and establishment of cancer treatment centers in regional areas. The 5-year survival rates in Sweden are impressive with breast cancer survival rates at 89%, prostate cancer at 91%, and childhood leukemia survival rates stand at 89%.
The population is covered by the government for healthcare services. The estimated cost of one visit to a primary care facility is between €10 and €30, specialized care facility visit can cost anywhere from €20 to €40 while the cost of prescription drugs is capped at €240. An important factor behind quality cancer care is the relevant authority’s focus on health registries with 30 quality registries focusing on cancer.
12. China
In 2020, China was home to almost 20% of the global cancer patients. Over the last decade, China has worked to create its own versions of cancer drugs that have been highly effective and have decreased the cancer mortality rate in the country by nearly 10% between 2009 and 2019. Peking University Cancer Hospital & Institute and Fuda Cancer Hospital are some of the best hospitals for cancer treatment in the country.
11. Brazil
According to a research study published in 2022, Brazil's spending on cancer every year is estimated to be around $3.57 billion by the private and public healthcare systems. Around 78% of the Brazilian population relies on the public healthcare system and the spending on cancer in the specific healthcare system is around $800 million per year.
11. Iceland
In 2019, the total mortality rate because of cancer was 5% lower in Iceland than the EU’s average with 235 deaths per 100,000 population in the country and the cancer mortality rate for men was 15% lower.
Cancer care quality is continuously being improved within the country and decentralization plays an important part in improving the accessibility of treatment. Landspitali University Hospital and regional hospitals like Akureyri Hospital are important players in cancer care. The availability of medical equipment in Iceland is better than the EU's average with the radiation therapy equipment ratio being 1.9 per 1,000 cases of cancer.
9. Australia
According to the Australian government's stats, around 70% of people with cancer live at least 5 years past their diagnosis in the country. A report published in 2023 titled ‘Cancer Research in Australia: an Overview of Funding for cancer Research Projects and Programs in Australia, 2012 to 2020’ by Cancer Australia estimated that $2.12 billion were spent on 4,813 research projects and initiatives between 2012 and 2020. Moreover, 58% of the funding was done by the Australian government.
The Peter Maccallum Cancer Centre is a celebrated cancer care hospital located in Melbourne. The hospital is well-known as it not only provides innovative cancer treatment but also does cancer research and offers oncology training.
8. France
France is considered one of the top progressing countries in terms of cancer care and treatment with Institut Gustave Roussy known as the most famous hospital for cancer treatment. The country is considered the best destination in terms of opting for novel cancer treatments because of the high approval rate of new treatments by the National Authority for Health. In 2020, the number of patients treated with immunotherapy was higher than 50,000 and 230 were treated through the chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy.
Launched in 2021, the National Cancer Strategy 2021-2030 has funding of €1.74 billion. The goals of the plan are in line with those of Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan and aim to reduce the number of avoidable cancers by 60 000 yearly by 2040 and carry out one million additional screening tests by 2025.
7. Canada
In January 2023, the government announced $23 million in funding to set up the first-ever Canadian Pediatric Cancer Consortium (CPCC). The funding by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) is one of many rounds of funding as the federal agency has spent around $1 billion in cancer research between 2017 and 2021.
Cancer treatment in Canada is often lauded because new research in cancer treatment is rapidly developing innovative treatment options. In February 2023, the announcement of a unique immunotherapy developed by the National Research Council of Canada was brought to the public. The novel CAR-T cell therapy is proposed to enroll patients in clinical trials in the second half of 2023.
6. Japan
Japan is one of the most technologically advanced countries in the world which also gives it an edge over other countries in cancer treatment. The country ranks at number 2 in the world for stomach and lung cancer survival rates. In 2021, Daiichi Sankyo a Japanese drug company received approval for Teserpaturev, Japan's first virotherapy drug. It is still in the trial phases. However, in the phase 2 trial, the drug showed a one-year survival rate of 84.2% in patients suffering from glioblastoma.
