Mikis Euripides, MSc

A study by Hutchinson et al quantifying the socioeconomic burden of ovarian cancer in 11 countries, including the United States, estimates that nearly $70 billion in socioeconomic losses may be attributable to ovarian cancer. Moreover, health expenditures to cover treatment in the first 2 years postdiagnosis were 7, 41, and 118 times the total health spending per capita in high-income, upper-income, and low- and lower-middle–income countries, respectively. The study was presented during the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) World Cancer Congress (Abstract 000893) in Geneva. Mikis Euripides, MSc, study lead and policy consultant for the World Ovarian Cancer Coalition, is the corresponding author of this study.

According to the World Ovarian Cancer Coalition, ovarian cancer is the eighth most common cancer diagnosed in women worldwide and the eighth most common cause of death from cancer among women, accounting for 324,000 new cases each year and 207,000 deaths from the disease. If nothing changes the trajectory of these statistics, the International Agency for Research on Cancer projects that over the next 25 years, ovarian cancer will claim more than 8 million lives.

Study Methodology

The researchers built a spreadsheet-based instrument that used a prevalence-based cost-of-illness approach and a societal perspective to estimate the annual burden of ovarian cancer. The instrument leverages data from the World Ovarian Cancer Coalition’s Every Woman Study and contains a microcosting framework to assess the resources and costs of providing care. It also uses data from novel systematic reviews and meta-analyses conducted by the study authors to assess the effect of ovarian cancer on patient labor productivity outcomes and the amount of time that caregivers devote to caring for people living with the disease.

The study aimed to quantify the socioeconomic burden of ovarian cancer in 11 countries, including Australia, Canada, Colombia, India, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Malawi, Malaysia, Nigeria, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Results

The researchers estimated that in 2023, across the 11 countries, $69.9 billion in socioeconomic losses were attributable to ovarian cancer. Socioeconomic losses as a percent of gross domestic product ranged from 0.02% in Malawi to 0.24% in the United Kingdom. Health expenditures to cover treatment in the first 2 years postdiagnosis were 7, 41, and 118 times the total health spending per capita in high-, upper-middle, and low- and lower-middle–income countries respectively.

In addition, patients spent nearly 3,700 years of time traveling to or receiving treatment. Women lost labor productivity equivalent to 2.5 million workdays due to ill health from ovarian cancer, and more than 9,400 women living with ovarian cancer or survivors were estimated to be missing from the workforce. Moreover, caregivers spent 17,000 person-years providing practical support to patients—an average of 33 days per woman living with ovarian cancer.

“The study identified substantial socioeconomic costs accruing to a range of societal stakeholders. To reduce costs, it is imperative to align behind strategies that can prevent ovarian cancer and diagnose it as quickly as possible, while also strengthening support for the patients, caregivers, and health systems that are confronted by it,” concluded the study authors.

Quantifying the True Burden of Ovarian Cancer

Clara MacKay

“This study quantifies the overall societal cost of ovarian cancer using the value of statistical life-years,” said Clara MacKay, Chief Executive Officer of the World Ovarian Cancer Coalition, during a press conference announcing the results of the study. “It quantifies the health-care expenditures for diagnosis, treatment, and palliative care. It quantifies the loss to national economies through productivity losses when you take women out of the workforce due to ovarian cancer. And importantly, it quantifies the unrecognized cost of unpaid caregiver time…. This study provides novel insight into the true burden of ovarian cancer.”

Disclosure: The study authors reported no conflicts of interest.