OBJECTIVES: Cancer is associated with different dimensions of direct and indirect costs. This study aims to examine the monetary value of life years lost due to premature mortality from cancer in Greece based on World Bank and Eurostat data.

METHODS: Greek age-specific cancer-related deaths were used to calculate Years of Life Lost(YLL); defined as the difference between life expectancy per gender and actual age of death. Years of Productive Life Lost(YPLL) and Present Value of Future Lost Productivity(PVFLP) accounted for productivity losses. PVFLP was calculated based on gender-specific earnings stratified by age-group and labor force participation rates multiplied by YLL. Productivity losses beyond the age of retirement were not taken into account. The analysis was run for three time points: 2010, 2015, and 2019. The trend and direction of the results is an important, insightful objective for this analysis.

RESULTS: Overall 526,506, 567,268 and 500,195 years of life were lost due to cancer in 2010, 2015 and 2019 respectively. The cancer types with the highest mortality were lung (22.1%-26.5%), colorectal (9.5%-12.74%), pancreatic (4.9%-9.1%), liver (5.3%-5.7%) and breast-cancer (5.2%- 14.9%). The YPLL were 89,702, 79,138, and 76,102 in 2010, 2015, and 2019, showing a decreasing trend. The PVFLP was €946,897,643 in 2010 and €849,179,713 in 2015 and €807,465,250 in 2019, also showing a decreasing trend.

CONCLUSIONS: The burden of cancer is not only significant in terms of YLL, but also in terms of productivity losses for the economy(shown by PVFLP). A decreasing trend is shown in YPLL and PVFLP but no clear trend in YLL, indicates there could be a shift in the age of death, of cancer patients to a later time-point. These findings highlight there are improvements in cancer management; however high unmet needs in cancer care persist; hence further improvements are necessary for cancer patients, their families and society as a whole.