As the incidence of cancer is rising and more patients survive their disease, the number of people within the population who have a history of cancer is rising.

Unfortunately, most cancer survivors experience bothersome late and long-term symptoms, such as fatigue, low physical functioning, low quality of life, depression, anxiety, cognitive limitations, and pain. These prevent many of them from returning to their previous daily lives and often from returning to work.

In order to alleviate the symptoms, survivors can follow a rehabilitation programme. However, theseare not implemented widely. A major obstacle in the further implementation of cancer rehabilitation is the limited reimbursement by health insurance.

As the pressure on the health care budget is high, health services that are added to the Dutch health insurance scheme are assessed on their cost-effectiveness and affordability, next to the criteria of being necessary and effective.

Panaxea’s Janne Mewes speaks about the importance of aftercare in cancer patients for employers and the cost-effectiveness of work related rehabilitation programmes on the Business News Radio.

See Janne’s thesis for more information about the cost-effectiveness research.