A recent analysis found that premature deaths from cancer cost the world an estimated $566 billion in lost wages and unpaid contributions in 2022 — equivalent to 0.6% of the global gross domestic product (GDP).

The study, led by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), is the most comprehensive effort to date to quantify the economic value of both paid and unpaid work lost when people die of cancer before retirement age.

While the study didn’t report US-specific data separately, North America had roughly $112 billion in societal productivity losses from premature cancer deaths in 2022 ($62 billion in losses among men and $50 billion among women).

“It is always alarming to see these large numbers and come to terms with how many lives are still being lost to cancer,” Julie R. Gralow, MD, chief medical officer for the American Society of Clinical Oncology, told Medscape Medical News. “Well-done research like this can provide context around the full effect of premature cancer deaths.”

Robin Yabroff, PhD, MBA, scientific vice president for health services research at the American Cancer Society, agreed, noting that “the magnitude of global loss — $566 billion from premature deaths in 2022 alone — underscores the importance of investment in cancer control.”

The study was published online late last month in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

Tangible Economic Hit

Cancer is a leading cause of premature deaths globally. While previous studies have estimated the economic impact of premature mortality from cancer, the research has been limited in scope, focusing on specific regions or cancer types or only considering paid productivity loss.

To better understand the broader economic burden associated with premature cancer deaths, researchers analyzed 3.6 million cancer deaths among working-age adults (15-64 years) in 185 countries across 36 cancer types, setting the retirement age at 65 years.

Using cancer mortality estimates from GLOBOCAN 2022, labor market data from the International Labor Organization, and data on time spent on unpaid activities from the UN Women database, the researchers applied economic models to calculate both wages lost from paid jobs and the value of unpaid caregiving, household tasks, and community work.

Of the global total of lost productivity, $305 billion stemmed from lost paid work, and $260 billion from unpaid work. In men, productivity losses from premature cancer deaths were valued at $315 billion, and in women, these productivity losses came to $250 billion.

Among men, $203.5 billion of lost productivity stemmed from paid activities, and $111.5 billion from unpaid activities. Among women, the share of paid productivity loss was $101.5 billion, with a larger proportion stemming from unpaid activities ($148.5 billion).

“Because women continue to carry out a disproportionate share of unpaid work, incorporating it into the estimates allows us to reveal the true burden of cancer,” Isabelle Soerjomataram, PhD, deputy head of the Cancer Surveillance Branch at IARC, noted in a news release.

The societal burden of premature cancer deaths fell unevenly across the globe.

Eastern Asia bore the largest absolute losses at $165 billion, followed by North America ($112 billion) and Western Europe ($70 billion). But when measured relative to GDP, the heaviest impact was felt in Eastern and Middle Africa.

“In low- and middle-income countries, even modest losses in productivity can have an important impact on the national economy,” lead author and IARC researcher Yek-Ching Kong, said in the release. Given these findings, Kong reiterated the “crucial need to invest in cancer prevention in low- and middle-income countries, where health systems are already strained and the economic burden of cancer is particularly acute.”

Top Cancer Cost Drivers

The study also pinpointed which cancers drive the greatest societal losses. Lung cancer accounted for $88 billion in lost productivity worldwide, followed by breast ($55 billion), liver ($50 billion), and colorectal cancers ($50 billion).

In many African and Latin American regions, however, cervical cancer was a top contributor, underscoring the importance of the World Health Organization’s Cervical Cancer Elimination Initiative, which includes human papillomavirus vaccination and screening goals.

Other cancers, however, carried the highest cost per death, with testicular cancer, melanoma of the skin, and brain and nervous system cancers leading that list. These cancers, some of which are less common, often strike younger individuals and have fewer options for prevention or treatment, the authors noted.

The research team also modeled future scenarios. If the retirement age increased from 65 to 70 years, as is happening in many countries, the global productivity loss would balloon to $904 billion in 2022, nearly 1% of global GDP.

The authors noted several limitations to the estimates. The analysis depended on the availability of comparable and high-quality data across 185 countries, but some data sources varied in quality and some data were absent. The analysis excluded part-time work and informal employment, which may underestimate productivity losses. Retirement ages also differ across countries, which could influence productivity loss estimates from paid work.

Overall, though, these figures provide “tangible evidence that illustrates the deep societal impact that cancer can have on a nation,” Gralow told Medscape Medical News.

As cancer care providers and researchers, “we know the ripple effects that cancer has on families, communities, and society,” Gralow explained. “This research makes clear that cancer preventive and screening services and research are pivotal — not superfluous — to furthering a country’s economic strength.”

Funding for the study was provided by IARC. The study authors, Gralow, and Yabroff had no relevant disclosures.