Paid and unpaid productivity losses due to premature mortality from cancer in Europe in 2018

Abstract

When someone dies prematurely from cancer this represents a loss of productivity for society. This loss can be valued and provides a measure of the cancer burden. We estimated paid and unpaid productivity lost due to cancer‐related premature mortality in 31 European countries in 2018. Lost productivity was estimated for all cancers combined and 23 cancer sites, overall, by region and country. Deaths aged 15 to 64 were abstracted from GLOBOCAN 2018. Unpaid time lost (housework, caring, volunteering) was derived from Eurostat. Paid and unpaid productivity losses were valued using the human capital approach. In total, 347,149 premature cancer deaths occurred (60% male). The total value of cancer‐related lost productivity was €104.6 billion. Of this, €52.9 billion (50.6%) was due to lost paid work, and €51.7 billion (49.4%) to unpaid work. Females accounted for 36.7% of paid work costs but half (51.1%) of the unpaid work costs. Costs were highest in Western Europe (€52.0 billion). The most costly cancer was lung (€21.7 billion), followed by breast (€10.6 billion). The average loss per premature death was highest for Hodgkin's lymphoma (€506 345), melanoma (€450 694), brain cancer (€428 449) and leukaemia (€378 750). Cancer‐related lost productivity costs are significant. Almost half are due to unpaid work losses, indicating the importance of considering both paid and unpaid labour in assessing the cancer economic burden. The high cost per premature death of some less common cancers illustrates the potential benefits that could accrue from investment in prevention and control of these cancers.

Risk of extracolonic second primary cancers following a primary colorectal cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis

“…If the CRC is of advanced stages and with residual cancer after resection as well as with mutation not amendable to target therapy, it is likely the survival is dismal and the impact of SPC on the survival is not apparent. On the other hand, if the CPC is of early stages and after curative resection, the survival of the patients with CRC is obviously affected and likely depend on the SPCs with high patients’ mortality and morbidity such as cancers of the thorax (lung, bronchus, and mediastinum) and melanoma [ 41 , 42 ]. There are also SPCs such as from the urinary bladder, kidney, female genitals, small intestine, and stomach of similar diverse biological aggressiveness as CRC which will have impact of the survival on the patients.…”

The effects of exposure to solar radiation on human health

“…The average paid and unpaid productivity loss per premature death from melanoma in Europe is estimated to be €450,694 [ 124 ], the second highest loss of all cancer types after Hodgkin’s lymphoma, likely due to the relatively earlier age of onset (and, thus, greater paid productivity losses).…”

Engaging European society at the forefront of cancer research and care

“…Cancer premature mortality translates into a substantial economic and societal burden, which amounted to almost €200 billion in Europe in 2018, consisting of both direct costs, that is, cancer‐specific health expenditures including expenditure on drugs, and indirect costs, as, for example, costs resulting from premature mortality, morbidity, and informal care [ 10 ]. The total value of productivity lost due to early cancer mortality in 2018 was estimated at €104.6 billion in Europe [ 11 ]. Largely related to population ageing, the number of new cancer cases among older adults (aged 65+) in Europe is expected to double by 2035.…”

“…Largely related to population ageing, the number of new cancer cases among older adults (aged 65+) in Europe is expected to double by 2035. These trends will place increasing pressure on government fiscal finances and strain healthcare budgets [ 11 ]. In this regard, the European cancer policy scene already features committed politicians pushing the cancer agenda.…”