A population-based study of the humanistic burden among cancer patients in Japan

Economic impact of screening on postdiagnosis work productivity in Japanese women with breast cancer: a life-table modeling approach

BACKGROUND

In Japan, biennial mammography screening has been recommended for the early detection of breast cancer (BC) in women aged 40 years or above since 2004 by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare. The purpose of this study is to estimate the economic impact of BC screening on work productivity, using a new measure called the productivity-adjusted life-year (PALY).

METHODS

We used a dynamic life table modeling approach to estimate the work productivity of female patients aged 40-64 years diagnosed with BC in 2019 over the year of diagnosis and the subsequent 5 years. Changes in life-years, PALYs, and gross domestic product (GDP) were assessed by changing the screening detection rate from the current (34.2%) to an ideal (100%) percentage. Each input for modeling was obtained from the most recent public database available.

RESULTS

BC patients were estimated to lose 1903 in life-years, 3596 in PALYs, and US$281 million in GDP at the current screening detection rate compared with the ideal detection rate. On the other hand, the following gains are expected when the current screening detection rate was increased to 40-80%; life-years gain; 168-1325, PALYs gain; 317-2503, GDP gain: US$25-196 million.

CONCLUSION

This study has used modeling to show that detecting BC without screening is associated with a lower work productivity and an economic and life-years loss. Encouraging BC screening may be beneficial to maintaining work productivity after diagnosis.

Regional disparity in first-in-class anticancer drug development in the US, EU, and Japan

A cancer diagnosis is devastating for both patients and their caregivers. With high morbidity and mortality, cancer is a serious disease area with unmet medical needs. Thus, innovative anticancer drugs are in high demand worldwide but are unequally available. Our study focused on first-in-class (FIC) anticancer drugs and investigated their actual development situation in the United States (US), European Union (EU), and Japan over the last two decades to obtain fundamental information for understanding how the aforementioned demands are met, especially to eliminate drug lags among regions. We identified FIC anticancer drugs using pharmacological classes for the Japanese drug pricing system. Most FIC anticancer drugs were first approved in the US. The median approval time for anticancer drugs in new pharmacological classes during the last two decades in Japan (5072 days) was significantly different (p=0.043) from that in the US (4253 days), though it was not significantly different from that in the EU (4655 days). Submission and approval lags between the US and Japan were more than 2.1 years, and those between the EU and Japan were more than 1.2 years. However, those between the US and the EU were less than 0.8 years. The development rate of FIC anticancer drugs in Japan is slower than in other regions. Even among developed countries, FIC anticancer drug lags exist. Considering the high impact of FIC anticancer drugs on society worldwide, we should work together to reduce drug lag among regions using an improved international cooperative framework.

Factors associated with humanistic burden and indirect cost among patients with cancer in Japan

AIMS

Patients with cancer experienced reduced health-related quality-of-life (HRQoL), increased work productivity and activity impairment (WPAI), and indirect costs. With the current emphasis on economic evaluation of health technology in Japan, it is important to understand how indirect costs correlate with HRQoL and patient characteristics. It is also crucial to assess the patient characteristics associated with the HRQoL, WPAI, and indirect costs among patients with any types of cancer.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This cross-sectional study used data from the 2017 Japan National Health and Wellness Survey (NHWS). Respondents self-reported their HRQoL and WPAI by answering validated SF-12v2 and WPAI questionnaires, respectively. Indirect costs were derived using the human capital method. Correlation between HRQoL components and indirect costs were assessed using Spearman's rank-order correlation. Correlation between patient characteristics and HRQoL, WPAI, and indirect costs were analyzed using generalized linear models.

RESULTS

A total of 1,540 patients with any types of cancer, 254 with breast cancer, and 144 with colorectal cancer were included in the analyses. There was significant negative correlation between the indirect costs and HRQoL components among patients with any types of cancer. Patients with lower comorbid burden, higher household income, employed, married, or living with partner, never smokers, and exercised tended to have higher HRQoL. Being never smokers, having lower comorbid burden, normal weight, and exercised were associated with lower WPAI measures. Additionally, patients who were older, not married, not obese, and not smoking tended to incur lower indirect costs.

CONCLUSIONS

The negative correlation between HRQoL and indirect costs among patients with cancer emphasized the needs to improve health outcomes and reduce indirect costs of patients. The factors associated with cancer burden identified in this study provide insights to allow targeted intervention to improve HRQoL and lessen the WPAI and indirect cost among cancer patients in Japan.