The economic burden of occupational non-melanoma skin cancer due to solar radiation

Abstract

Solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation is the second most prevalent carcinogenic exposure in Canada and is similarly important in other countries with large Caucasian populations. The objective of this article was to estimate the economic burden associated with newly diagnosed non-melanoma skin cancers (NMSCs) attributable to occupational solar radiation exposure. Key cost categories considered were direct costs (healthcare costs, out-of-pocket costs (OOPCs), and informal caregiver costs); indirect costs (productivity/output costs and home production costs); and intangible costs (monetary value of the loss of health-related quality of life (HRQoL)). To generate the burden estimates, we used secondary data from multiple sources applied to computational methods developed from an extensive review of the literature. An estimated 2,846 (5.3%) of the 53,696 newly diagnosed cases of basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and 1,710 (9.2%) of the 18,549 newly diagnosed cases of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) in 2011 in Canada were attributable to occupational solar radiation exposure. The combined total for direct and indirect costs of occupational NMSC cases is $28.9 million ($15.9 million for BCC and $13.0 million for SCC), and for intangible costs is $5.7 million ($0.6 million for BCC and $5.1 million for SCC). On a per-case basis, the total costs are $5,670 for BCC and $10,555 for SCC. The higher per-case cost for SCC is largely a result of a lower survival rate, and hence higher indirect and intangible costs. Our estimates can be used to raise awareness of occupational solar UV exposure as an important causal factor in NMSCs and can highlight the importance of occupational BCC and SCC among other occupational cancers.

Skin cancer in outdoor workers exposed to solar radiation: a largely underreported occupational disease in Italy

“…For comparison, in a recent study in Canada, Mofidi et al . estimated that 5.3% of all BCC and 9.3% of SCC are attributable to occupational sUVR exposure; using these estimations, the expected number of occupational BCC and SCC in Italy rises to 3392 and 1748 cases per year, respectively, compared with 711 and 211 (Table ).…”

Effects of a brief multimodal online intervention on the intention to conduct sun protective behaviours through targeting illness representations about skin cancer: a randomized controlled trial

“…This might be attributed to the treatment that often causes visible scarring and disfigurement (Sobanko et al, 2015) as well as the severe concerns of patients that the cancer could spread, recur, or develop (Burdon-Jones, Thomas, & Baker, 2010). As regards the economic burden, skin cancer carries considerable direct and indirect costs that will soar as incidence rates increase (Gordon & Rowell, 2015;Guy et al, 2015;Mofidi et al, 2018;RKI, 2016;Stang, Stausberg, Boedeker, Kerek-Bodden, & J€ ockel, 2008). Direct costs arise from the multifaceted treatment of skin cancer (National Cancer Institute (NCI), 2018a, 2018b), while indirect costs are caused by productivity loss due to temporary or permanent incapacity for work, and premature death (Mofidi et al, 2018;RKI, 2016).…”

Characteristics of non-melanoma skin cancer depending upon occupational solar UV exposure dosage

“…Currently, up to 90% of the allocated healthcare budget for NMSC is invested in treatment and only 10% in prevention [21]. Therefore, development of NMSC is associated with workers absenteeism, reduced productivity at the workplace and even job loss; however, preventive measures are available and can be efficiently applied [22]. The lack of sun smart protective behavior at the work place is observed throughout Europe, with most outdoor workers using photoprotection during holidays, but not during working hours [23], noticing a big gap in the culture of prevention.…”