Cancer is the third leading cause of mortality in Romania, and one in five premature (before the age of 75) deaths (20%) will be due to cancer between 2023 and 2050. In total, there will be an estimated 18,700 premature deaths from cancer every year, and the average population life expectancy will be 1.7 years lower than if there were no cancer.
Tackling the Impact of Cancer on Health, the Economy and Society: Romania
1 in 5 premature deaths are due to cancer
1. Estimates are calculated by comparing the baseline scenario to a hypothetical scenario in which there is no cancer, and therefore take into account the cost of other diseases. As people who do not develop cancer live loner and develop other diseases, this can lead to an overall increase in health expenditure for some countries.
At least three factors will drive up cancer health expenditure in the future. First, the risk of cancer increases with age. As the population of Romania ages, this will lead to a 52% increase in per capita health spending on cancer between 2023 and 2050, all other things being equal. Second, efforts to reduce variation in cancer outcomes across countries could mean people survive for longer, require treatment for longer, and can develop cancer again. This would add another 29% in cancer cost over the same period. Third, higher treatment cost from new medicines and technologies could further increase the total cost.
Source: OECD SPHeP NCDs model, 2024.
Better cancer screening, diagnosis and treatment would improve the lives of people with cancer
If Romania were to improve cancer screening, diagnosis and treatment to achieve the best survival rates observed in the OECD and EU, this would…
prevent one in three premature cancer deaths,
increase the population average life expectancy by 8 months,
add the equivalent of 5 200 full-time workers,
increase overall health expenditure by 1.3%.
Note: % of total refers to the proportion of total premature mortality for a given cancer that can be prevented by improving survival rates for the same cancer
Source: OECD SPHeP NCDs model, 2024.
Action on key cancer risk factors would reap a wide range of benefits
Meeting international policy targets on major cancer risk factors would prevent around 10% of all cancer cases and avert 13% of premature deaths due to cancer in Romania.
HPV vaccination can protect future generations from cervical cancer
Optimal vaccination for human papillomavirus (HPV) in Romania, in which a high coverage rate provides enough herd immunity to eliminate all infections by the targeted HPV types, could prevent 89% of premature deaths from cervical cancer, and reduce health expenditure on cancer by RON 62 million per year.
This work is published under the responsibility of the Secretary-General of the OECD. The opinions expressed and arguments employed herein do not necessarily reflect the official views of the Member countries of the OECD.
This document, as well as any data and map included herein, are without prejudice to the status of or sovereignty over any territory, to the delimitation of international frontiers and boundaries and to the name of any territory, city or area.
The statistical data for Israel are supplied by and under the responsibility of the relevant Israeli authorities. The use of such data by the OECD is without prejudice to the status of the Golan Heights, East Jerusalem and Israeli settlements in the West Bank under the terms of international law.
Note by the Republic of Türkiye The information in this document with reference to “Cyprus” relates to the southern part of the Island. There is no single authority representing both Turkish and Greek Cypriot people on the Island. Türkiye recognises the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC). Until a lasting and equitable solution is found within the context of the United Nations, Türkiye shall preserve its position concerning the “Cyprus issue”.
Note by all the European Union Member States of the OECD and the European Union The Republic of Cyprus is recognised by all members of the United Nations with the exception of Türkiye. The information in this document relates to the area under the effective control of the Government of the Republic of Cyprus.
Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
This work is made available under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence. By using this work, you accept to be bound by the terms of this licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Attribution – you must cite the work.
Translations – you must cite the original work, identify changes to the original and add the following text: In the event of any discrepancy between the original work and the translation, only the text of original work should be considered valid.
Adaptations – you must cite the original work and add the following text: This is an adaptation of an original work by the OECD. The opinions expressed and arguments employed in this adaptation should not be reported as representing the official views of the OECD or of its Member countries.
Third-party material – the licence does not apply to third-party material in the work. If using such material, you are responsible for obtaining permission from the third party and for any claims of infringement.
You must not use the OECD logo, visual identity or cover image without express permission or suggest the OECD endorses your use of the work.
Any dispute arising under this licence shall be settled by arbitration in accordance with the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) Arbitration Rules 2012. The seat of arbitration shall be Paris (France). The number of arbitrators shall be one.
