OBJECTIVES: This study estimated the mortality burden and the cost of lost productivity due to premature deaths in melanoma, lung, and breast cancers in Central-Eastern Europe (CEE), Northern, Western, and Southern Europe (SE). We estimated the years of productive life lost (YPLL) due to premature mortality and the present value of lost productivity (PVFLP) associated with these cancer types between 2010-2019.

METHODS: The human capital approach was used to estimate YPLL due to premature deaths from lung, melanoma, and breast cancers (ICD-10 code: C33-34, C43, and C50, respectively). PVFLP was calculated using age-specific mortality, wages, and employment rates in European countries. Data was sourced from the WHO, Eurostat, and the World Bank.

RESULTS: The number of deaths due to melanoma, lung and breast cancer remained relatively stable in the European regions, with some increase in breast cancer (CEE: 19%), and melanoma deaths (CEE: 16%, SE: 13%) comparing 2019 to 2010. YPLL/death due to lung cancer and melanoma decreased in 2019 versus 2010 across all European regions (25%-42% decrease in lung cancer, and 30%-37% decrease in melanoma). YPLL/death in breast cancer decreased by 18%-21%. PVFLP decreased in all European regions for each cancer, in a range of 25%-37% for melanoma (SE-CEE), 22%-42% for lung (SE-CEE), and 11%-21% in breast cancer (SE-CEE). In Europe, the decrease in PVFLP in 2019 compared to 2010 was €2,995M for lung, €295M for melanoma, and €466M for breast cancer, with an overall reduction of productivity cost of €3,756M in these cancer types.

CONCLUSIONS: Our study illustrates a trend toward lower productivity costs from 2010-2019. This finding is likely driven by deaths occurring at an older age that can be effect of aging population, but also suggesting that advances in cancer prevention and the treatment landscape have extended the life of cancer patients, yielding less productivity loss.