Cost of Cancer Treatment in Singapore

The Basics That You Need to Know

When cancer strikes, a person may suffer two shocks. Firstly, there is the shock in receiving news of the cancer condition itself. The next shock can hit when the cost of treating the cancer becomes more apparent. It has been said that despite the high level of transparency in the country generally, information on typical costs of cancer treatment in Singapore is still not easily available. According to the Singapore Cancer Society in a collaboration with Seedly , it is estimated that the annual cost of later-stage cancer treatment will be in the range of $100,000 to $200,000, or $8,000 to $17,000 per month.

With one in four people in Singapore likely to contract cancer in their lifetime, being prepare for cancer cost treatment should be high on people’s list of priorities.

The cost of treating cancer will vary for person to person depending on a number of factors. These include:

Here are some factors that will influence the costs of treating cancer:

1) The Stage of Cancer

Typically, the later the cancer is diagnosed, the more expensive cancer treatment becomes. This is due to the treatment being likely to be more intensive and more aggressive. If novel treatments are deployed to fight advanced cancers, these will also be more expensive.

2) Complexity of the Condition

If a cancer is located near or at a vital organ, then it increases the complexity to treatment. Complications that arise can weaken the patient’s body condition, leading to requirements for more extensive (and costly) care.

3) Type of Hospital and Class of Wards

The choice of hospital for cancer treatment makes significance difference to the treatment cost. One might want the higher level of service that a more costly private hospital can provide, but the cost premium is substantial compared to subsidised treatment at a public hospital.

4) Treatments Needed

Depending on the particularities of each patient’s case, there are different treatments that are available or necessary. In general, cancer screening and early detection can help reduce the number of treatments needed and keep costs down.

In our next article, we will explore in more detail the different types of costs for cancer treatment.