Study estimates the socioeconomic burden of breast cancer in Cyprus at 180.9 million euros

On October 20, 2026, a study titled 'Economic burden of breast cancer in Cyprus from a societal perspective' was presented in Nicosia. Conducted by Dr. Yola Markou, a medical oncologist at the Bank of Cyprus Oncology Centre, and published in the 'Expert Review of Pharmacoeconomics & Outcomes Research', the research marks the first effort to quantify the socioeconomic impact of the disease in the country. The event was organized by Novartis Cyprus under the auspices of the Cyprus Medical Association and the Cyprus Patients' Associations Federation.

The findings estimate the total annual socioeconomic burden for 2024 at 180.9 million euros. Costs are heavily influenced by the disease stage, with the average annual cost per patient for early-stage breast cancer estimated at 13,264 euros, compared to 26,360 euros for metastatic disease. Disease management accounts for 68.5% of total costs, followed by pharmaceutical expenses (11.7%), productivity loss (10.6%), and health resource utilization (9.2%). Specifically, absenteeism due to the illness results in a 19.2 million euro loss to the economy. Data further indicates that costs for the HER2+ subtype can be approximately 3.5 times higher in the metastatic stage compared to early stages.