Oral Cancer Costs India USD 5.6 Billion in Productivity Loss, Says TMC Studyfor

A recent study conducted by the Tata Memorial Centre (TMC), a leading cancer treatment and research institute, has revealed that the productivity loss of India due to oral cancer in 2022 was approximately USD 5.6 billion, which represents 0.18 per cent of India’s GDP.

India contributes to two-thirds of the global mortality due to oral cancer and has a younger population at risk. The study analysed the impact of the disease on 100 patients treated between 2019 and 2020 with a follow-up of 36 months. The median age of these patients was 47 years at the time of diagnosis, and the majority of them were male.

The disease-specific survival for early and advanced stages of the disease was 85 per cent and 70 per cent, respectively. “With a total of 671 years lost prematurely, referring to these 100 cases, the loss of productivity was USD 41,900 for early stage and USD 96,044 for the advanced stage. Based on population level rates, the total cost of premature mortality was USD 5.6 billion in 2022, representing 0.18 per cent of India’s GDP,” the study stated.

The study was led by Dr Arjun Singh, Associate Professor at TMC. As the retirement age in India is around 62 years, 91 per cent of the deaths or incurable recurrence of cancers were in the premature age groups, with a median age of 41.5 years.

Both early (70 per cent) and advanced (86 per cent) stage cancers were predominantly found in the middle-class socioeconomic status, with 53 per cent requiring some form of insurance schemes or financial support to complete treatment.

The productivity lost due to premature mortality was calculated using a method known as the human capital approach. Productivity lost due to premature mortality among females and males was Rs 57,22,803, and Rs 71,83,917, respectively, per death, the study concluded.