title: Estimating the Economic Burden of Lung Cancer in Iran
abstract: Objectives: Lung cancer is a major public health problem and one of the most costly illnesses. The study aimed
  to estimate the economic burden of lung cancer in Iran in 2014. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted to
  estimate the direct and indirect costs for patients with lung cancer using a prevalence-based approach. A human capital
  approach was employed to estimate the indirect costs. Data were obtained from several sources such as through patient
  interview using structured questionnaire, medical records, the GLOBOCAN databases, the Iranian Statistical Center,
  the Iranian Ministry of Cooperation, Labor and Social Welfare, and the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation
  (IHME). Results: The economic burden of lung cancer in Iran in the year 2014 was 3,225,998,555,090 IR. The main
  components of the cost were associated with mortality (81.9 %) and hospitalization (7.6 %). The costs of direct medical
  care, non-medical aspects, patient time, and mortality accounted for 10.8%, 2.7%, 4.5%, and 81.5% of the total cost,
  respectively. Conclusion: Findings from this study indicated that the economic burden of lung cancer is substantial
  both to Iran’s health system and to society as a whole. Early diagnosis, strengthening cancer prevention, implementing
  new cancer therapy and medical technology, and effective smoking-cessation interventions could offset some of the
  costs associated with lung cancer in Iran.
authors.affiliation: Research Center for Environmental Determinants of Health, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran. Email: satarrezaei@gmail.com
authors.forename: Satar
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rezaei
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Akbari Sari
authors.forename: Abraha
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Woldemichael
authors.forename: Moslem
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Soofi
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kazemi
authors.forename: Behzad
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Karami Matin
keywords: lung cancer; prevalence approach; economic burden; Iran