Analysis of Productivity Costs in Cancer: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Original research article properly address these methodological questions, due to the considerable relative weight that productivity costs represent for many diseases, for instance, cancer. According to estimates by WHO (1) and its Globocan proj-ect, cancer is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mor-tality worldwide; the latest data for 2012 estimate 14 million new cases and 8.2 million cancer-related deaths. In addition, WHO has also foretold an increase of 70% of new cases in the next 20 years. In absolute numbers, this would mean an increase from 14 million annual cases of cancer in 2012 to 22 million in two decades. These high numbers also imply a high economic burden of disease. An estimate for the Euro-pean Union (2) indicates that the total costs of cancer in 2009 reached €126.3 billion. Of this amount, 40% would consist of health-care costs, 42% would be productivity costs (lost work days caused by morbidity and premature mortality), and the remaining 18%, informal care costs. Relevant scientific advances in oncology have taken place in recent years. Precision medicine and, lately, treatment strate-gies based on immune response have provided cancer patients with more tolerable drugs and better results, not only in terms of objective responses, but also in overall survival. Recent stud-ies trying to compare personalized strategies with traditional chemotherapy in cancer patients have shown that current treatments based on precision medicine can be an indepen-dent predictor of better outcomes and fewer toxic deaths (3). In this setting, a significant reduction in productivity costs (due to fewer lost work days and to minor premature mortality),