Lost Annual Productivity Costs Due to Uterine Cancer Deaths in the United States in 2014.

Abstract

Background: An estimated 11,350 uterine cancer deaths are projected to occur in the United States in 2018. We constructed an economic model to estimate the annual productivity costs associated with uterine cancer death, for the year 2014. Materials and Methods: The model calculated the number of women who would be alive in 2014 if they had not died of uterine cancer, and the lost earnings resulting from early mortality. The age-stratified number of deaths from uterine cancer per year (1935-2014) was obtained from the National Center for Health Statistics. Life expectancy by birth year was used to determine the probability of survival to the age the patient would have been in 2014, had she not died of uterine cancer. The proportion of patients employed and median annual wage and fringe benefits per year were obtained from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The primary model outcome was the total annual productivity costs attributable to uterine cancer deaths in 2014. Results: A total of 558,717 women in the United States died of uterine cancer between 1935 and 2014. The model estimated that 110,792 of these women would be alive in 2014 had they not died of uterine cancer; of these, 24,758 would have been part of the work force based on age and labor participation rate. The total productivity loss in 2014 due to uterine cancer was estimated at $1.35 billion. Conclusion: Uterine cancer deaths in the United States are associated with substantial indirect costs owing to lost earnings. Total productivity losses are more than half of the estimated annual direct costs of uterine cancer care.