The impact on productivity costs of reducing unemployment in patients with advanced breast cancer: A model estimation based on a Portuguese nationwide observational study

This study aimed to characterize the employment status and work-related conditions of patients with advanced breast cancer (ABC) in Portugal and quantify the productivity costs of premature abandonment of the work market while evaluating strategies to promote employment. A total of 2151 working-aged women were estimated to have ABC in 2019 in Portugal, with productivity costs amounting to 28,676,754€ over 2019-2021. 112 patients from 9 hospitals were included in the study, average age was 52yr, 48 % had a postsecondary educational degree level and 87 % reported having a paid job at the time of diagnosis, mostly full-time. At the time of the study, only 38 % of the patients maintained the job status. The remaining were unemployed (51 %), on medical leave (25 %) or retired (24 %). Stop working was a personal choice for only 5 %. A subsidized part-time employment regimen, despite increased government costs, would allow a reduction in productivity costs, leading to a positive balance of 2,431,329€ over the same period. This study suggests that the majority of patients with ABC abandon the labor market before the age of retirement.