Kevin Chiu, Joanna P MacEwan, Suepattra G May, et al. MDM Policy Pract. 2022 Aug 3;7(2)
Cancer can have a profound impact on productivity. Traditional approaches to capturing health-related productivity loss focus only on the foregone wages of affected patients, overlooking the losses caregivers can incur. This study estimated the burden of productivity loss among breast cancer (BC) and non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients and individuals caring for such patients using an augmented multiplier method. Of 204 patients (104 BC, 100 NSCLC) and 200 caregivers (100 BC, 100 NSCLC) who completed the survey, 319 participants (162 BC, 157 NSCLC) working ≥40 wk/y prediagnosis were included in the analysis. More than one-third of the NSCLC (33%) and BC (43%) patients left the workforce postdiagnosis, whereas only 15% of caregivers did. The traditional estimate for the burden of productivity loss was 66% lower on average than the augmented estimate (NSCLC patients: 60%, BC patients: 69%, NSCLC caregivers: 59%, and BC caregivers: 73%). Although patients typically experience greater absenteeism, productivity loss incurred by caregivers is also substantial. Failure to account for such impacts can result in substantial underestimation of productivity gains novel cancer treatments may confer by enabling patients and caregivers to remain in the workforce longer. This study demonstrates how the disease affects not only patients but also the informal or unpaid individuals who care for patients. A more comprehensive understanding of the economic burden of cancer for both patients and their caregivers suggest the need for more support in the workplace for these individuals and a holistic approach to accounting for these impacts in treatment decision making.
15 Apr, 2026