Forty-five thousand dollars: That's our best estimate of what the first year of cancer costs in your mid-30s. It's the equivalent of a first-time down payment on a house, a master's degree, or two years of childcare in an expensive city.

Business Insider has spent a year investigating how a surge in young cancer is upending careers, family planning, and household budgets. We found there are few reliable estimates for how much a diagnosis actually costs.

We started with medical bills. Even with insurance, the out-of-pocket costs for surgery, chemotherapy, and specialist visits can run into the thousands of dollars.

And that's just the beginning. As dozens of adults with cancer have told us, the true cost of a diagnosis goes far beyond itemized hospital bills and prescription receipts.

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