Productivity Losses Due To Premature Mortality From Cancer In Brazil, Russia, India, China, And South Africa (BRICS)

According to a new study released by World Health Organization's (WHO) International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), billions of US dollars are lost in productivity in major emerging economies15, due to premature mortality owing to cancer.

Led by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) in partnership with leading cancer research institutions in these countries, the study shows that the productivity loss in Brazil, the Russian Federation, India, China, and South Africa, collectively known as the BRICS countries, reached $46.3 billion in 2012. This represents 0"33% of their combined GDP, with country-specific proportions of GDP ranging from 0"21% in Brazil to 0"49% in South Africa16.

The BRICS countries account for more than 40% of the world's population, 25% of the global gross domestic product (GDP), and 42% of the world's cancer deaths. Although they have diverse levels of wealth, and health indicators, the BRICS countries have all undergone particularly rapid demographic and economic growth. They are affected by infection-related cancers as well as cancers associated with changing lifestyles (changes in diet, lack of physical activity, obesity, reproductive patterns etc.). Yet each of these countries has a distinct cancer profile, and therefore, a tailored approach to national cancer control policy is required.

Economic impact of major cancers in BRICS countries

The aim of this study was to estimate - for the first time - the value of productivity lost due to cancer-related premature mortality in Brazil, the Russian Federation, India, China, and South Africa (collectively known as the BRICS countries) in 2012.

Figure 1 (below) shows country wise Economic Loss productivity wise due to premature Cancer Mortality in the BRICS region

Figure 1

Across all the BRICS countries, liver cancer and lung cancer have the largest impact on total productivity lost. In the BRICS countries, combined together, liver ($8"8 billion), lung ($8"0 billion), stomach ($4"7 billion), oesophagus ($2"7 billion), and colorectal cancer ($2"5 billion) contributed the greatest lost productivity.

Among males, total productivity loss was highest for liver ($8"2 billion), lung ($7"1 billion), stomach ($4"1 billion), oesophagus ($2"5 billion), and colorectal ($1"9 billion) cancers. Among females, total productivity loss was highest for breast ($2"1 billion), cervix ($1"5 billion), lung ($0"9 billion), stomach ($0"7 billion), and liver ($0"7 billion)...

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