Cervical cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer deaths in Taiwan. To investigate the disease cost and then raise awareness of the importance of screening for cervical cancer and promote early detection, this paper employs contingent valuation and willingness to pay (WTP) method to study how health-related quality of life, disease severity, and after-treatment disease status affect patients' WTP for a complete remission of the disease. The inclusive criteria for the study were primary case outpatients at least 3 months after they had received therapy at the time of our study period. Face-to-face interviews were conducted for the retrospective format of the survey. The result of the study indicates a lifetime WTP of $US21 221.96 for Taiwanese cervical cancer patients, which is significantly higher than the cost of screening for early detection. Disease stages do not show a consistent pattern in influencing WTP, but patients with surgery are willing to pay a significantly higher amount for a complete remission from the disease than patients without. In addition, mental health, positive attitudes toward life, and quality of life also are key factors that influence WTP.
Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.