title: Advancing the science of cancer cost measurement: challenges and opportunities.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Cancer accounts for a major proportion of national health expenditures, which are expected to increase in the future. This paper aims to identify major challenges with estimating cancer related costs, and discuss international comparisons, and recommendations for future research.
  
  
  METHODS
  It starts from the experience of an international workshop aimed at comparing cancer burden evaluation methods, improving results comparability, discussing strengths and criticisms of different approaches.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Three methodological themes necessary to inform the analysis are identified and discussed: data availability; costs definition; epidemiological measures.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Cost evaluation is applied to cancer control interventions and is relevant for public health planners. Despite their complexity, international comparisons are fundamental to improve, generalize and extend cost evaluation to different contexts.
authors.affiliation: Centro Nazionale di Epidemiologia, Sorveglianza e Promozione della Salute, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy. silvia.francisci@iss.it
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Francisci
authors.forename: K Robin
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Yabroff
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gigli
authors.forename: Angela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mariotto
authors.forename: Maura
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mezzetti
authors.forename: Joseph
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lipscomb
mesh_terms: D017281:Cost of Illness; D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis / Q000639:trends*; D004812:Epidemiologic Methods; D005102:Health Expenditures; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000191:economics* / Q000628:therapy*