Medicare Costs for Cancer Treatment Soar(n the costs up even further. The impact...),Health

Moreover, increasing costs may actually be preventing some Medicare patients from getting cancer treatment they need, Lichtenfeld said.

"In February, Avastin was approved for the treatment of recurrent breast cancer. It costs about $55,000 a year for a Medicare patient to receive the drug," Lichtenfeld said. "But there is a 20 percent co-pay. If a Medicare patient has insurance, it may be covered, but if they don't have insurance, there is an $11,000 co-pay to cover -- and $11,000 is a lot of money."

There is anecdotal evidence that doctors and patients are being forced to consider costs when they make choices for treatment regimens, Lichtenfeld said.

"Some people are not able to afford those treatments," he said. "The increased use of expensive chemotherapy is having an impact on how we treat cancer patients."

More information

For more information on financial assistance and other resources for people with cancer, visit the National Cancer Institute.

SOURCES: Robin Yabroff, Ph.D., M.B.A., epidemiologist, U.S. National Cancer Institute; Len Lichtenfeld, M.D., deputy chief medical officer, American Cancer Society, Atlanta; June 10, 2008, Journal of the National Cancer Institute, online