We are in the midst of a cancer crisis. Our latest data mirrors disturbing global trends, as cancer claims incidence and costs rise,¹ while the average age of diagnosis gets younger.² But all hope is not lost.

In our brand-new whitepaper, Tackling the cancer crisis: practical strategies for employers and insurers – insights from MAXIS data, we will explore these issues in-depth – and also provide solutions for multinationals and insurers.

To give you a taste of what’s to come, we wanted to give you a sneak peek at some of the findings from the whitepaper ahead of its release in the coming weeks.

What does MAXIS data cover?

Before we dive into what MAXIS data is telling us about the cancer claims experience of multinationals, it’s first worth explaining the scope of the dataset.

When we talk about MAXIS’ medical claims data, we’re referring to the private medical claims paid by our network of insurers for our multinational clients in more than 40 countries around the world (not including the US), covering more than 1.3 million lives.³

One of the most concerning trends we’re seeing in our data is the rise in cancer claims incidence and costs in the years since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Prior to the pandemic (2017–2019) cancer ranked highly in our data as a major cost driver, but it did not place among the top five conditions by claims spend. By 2023, the trend had shifted dramatically.

We’re also seeing an increasing number of younger cancer claimants in our data – something that’s being observed by global health authorities too.⁴

Cancer has traditionally been considered an older person’s disease. Yet in our data, the average age of cancer claimants has dropped to just 39 years of age, down from 52 in our 2017 figures.

Our data also captures potential links between what kind of work someone does and certain types of cancer.

In our 2024 whitepaper, we uncovered patterns between certain types of diseases and the industry employees work in.⁵ This year we’ve taken an even closer look at cancer claims trends and have found the highest claims rates by industry and cancer type.

The below chart shows cancer incidence rates across various industries, measured per 1,000 employees.

Key findings from the data

• Breast cancer: Highest incidence in banking & financial services (47.7 per 1,000 employees), telecommunications (31.7) and aviation (28.6).
• Colon cancer: We see high incidence rates in automobile manufacturing (9.5), logistics (6.4), and oil, gas and energy (6.1) industries.
• Pancreatic cancer: Technology (5.3) is the only industry with more than 1 case per 1,000 employees.
• Blood cancer: Banking & financial services (16.9) and telecommunications (13.3) have the highest incidences of blood cancers.
• Male genital cancer: The aviation industry (18.6) stands out in this category, with a rate six times higher than the next highest industry (banking & financial, 3.1).

While it’s fascinating to read about the trends, what’s most important is understanding what you should do to respond to what the data is telling us. In the whitepaper we detail strategies that will help multinationals respond to the trends.  

Exploring cancer trends by industry is particularly useful for employers to explore opportunities for prevention and screening strategies that can help their people catch cancer as early as possible.

Unfortunately, not all cancer cases are preventable. So, if that difficult diagnosis does come, having employer support and comprehensive employee benefits (EB) options in place will be vitally important to workers.

For an employee going through cancer, the illness can bring unforeseen challenges that can be difficult to get support for if it’s not offered as part of a workplace health insurance programme.

In the whitepaper, we look at some of these lesser-known or overlooked challenges like specialist mental health support, psychosocial care and fertility preservation. Alongside the physical treatment of the disease, these factors can play a pivotal role in comprehensive care.

When it comes to mental health, cancer patients frequently encounter psychological challenges that extend beyond the typical scope of mental health services, as they confront the complexities of diagnosis, treatment side effects and the uncertainty of recovery.

Onco-psychology, a specialised field addressing the unique mental health needs of cancer patients, remains unavailable in many regions, leaving a critical gap in holistic care. Ideally, psychological counselling should be integrated directly into oncology practices, ensuring that mental health support is delivered in a coordinated manner alongside other aspects of cancer treatment.

However, in many global markets, the expertise required to offer these services within oncology practices may be limited or unavailable.

Fertility preservation should be of equal concern – yet is often overlooked. This issue profoundly impacts younger cancer patients facing treatments that could compromise their reproductive potential. Fertility preservation measures, such as egg or sperm freezing, are essential but are often excluded from standard insurance coverage, leaving patients with difficult choices about their future when they begin cancer treatment.

Given the trend towards younger cancer patients we are seeing, this is particularly important.

It isn’t just employers who have a role to play in tackling the cancer crisis. Payers (such as insurers or captives) can help optimise, innovate and lead in this space too.