  We estimate treatment cost-savings from early cancer diagnosis. For breast,
lung, prostate and colorectal cancers and melanoma, which account for more than
50% of new incidences projected in 2017, we combine published cancer treatment
cost estimates by stage with incidence rates by stage at diagnosis. We
extrapolate to other cancer sites by using estimated national expenditures and
incidence rates. A rough estimate for the U.S. national annual treatment
cost-savings from early cancer diagnosis is in 11 digits. Using this estimate
and cost-neutrality, we also estimate a rough upper bound on the cost of a
routine early cancer screening test.
