Four Corners: August 26

This week Four Corners reporter Wendy Carlisle brings us an intimate look at patients confronting terminal cancer, who not only have to deal with their illness but also the dilemmas posed by an increasing array of expensive cancer fighting drugs. Who gets them and who pays?

There is not a person in the community that is not affected by cancer in some way. Next on Four Corners, we go inside the hospitals and consulting rooms with Australians who are confronting the reality that the advanced cancer they have could kill them.

The question is, how much time have they left and what can their doctors do to buy them more time?

The options now available to end stage cancer patients are new drugs – some are on trials; some the patients have to pay for and some that the Government subsidises. The bottom line though is that these drugs are very expensive.

In the case of a new melanoma drug, called Yervoy, a patient recently paid over $100,000 for a four session course. This month Yervoy was placed on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS). It will now cost patients $36.10 but the taxpayer $380 million over the next four years. For most, Yervoy will buy an extra 3.6 months of life. For a lucky few their lives may be extended for several more years.

These drugs that do not cure cancer but buy extra months of life are now the fastest growing category of drugs on the PBS.

As the burden of cancer grows, cancer specialists admit they feel a massive sense of responsibility to their patients and the community.

“It is an absolutely frightening amount of money. I can’t get my head around it. I don’t think any of my colleagues can get their head around it, none of us can.” (Oncologist)

This week Four Corners’ reporter Wendy Carlisle spends time with cancer patients and their oncologists who talk with great courage and candour about their treatment and the cost of the options available to buy them more time.

Monday 26th August, 8.30pm ABC1