OBJECTIVES: According to 2020 GLOBOCAN data, an estimated 431,288 patients a year are diagnosed with neoplasms of the kidney, constituting 2.4% of all cancer diagnoses. In Greece there was 1808 new cases of kidney cancer (2.9% of all cancers) and 1191 (2.1% of all cancers) in Portugal. In the last decade number of kidney cancers deaths in Europe is decreasing in the population younger than 65. On the contrary, in Greece and Portugal the number of kidney cancers deaths in this population is not showing this positive trend but is stable. The current analysis estimated the mortality burden and the cost of lost productivity due to kidney cancer deaths in Greece and Portugal.

METHODS: The human capital approach (HCA) was used to estimate years of life lost (YLL) and productivity losses due to premature deaths from kidney cancer (ICD10 code: C64 - Malignant neoplasm of kidney, except renal pelvis). Present value of future productivity (PVFLP) was calculated using age specific mortality, wages and employment rates. Data was sourced from the World Health Organization, Eurostat, and the World Bank.

RESULTS: In 2019 there were 564 kidney cancer deaths in Greece and 454 in Portugal. We estimated that these cancer deaths resulted in 5 871 (3 636 in males and 2 234 in females) YLL in Greece and 5 397 (3 100 in males and 2 297 in females) YLL in Portugal. Annual PVFLP was estimated to 14,76 M€ in Greece and 10,74 M€ in Portugal.

CONCLUSIONS: The YLL and productivity losses due to kidney cancer premature mortality are substantial in Greece and Portugal. The assessment of productivity losses due to kidney cancer provides new information that may assist decision makers in the allocation of resources, reducing the burden it supposes in working-age individuals.