The economic burden of cancer attributable to obesity in Korea: A population‐based cohort study

• Published in: European journal of cancer care Vol. 28; no. 5; pp. e13084 - n/a
• Main Authors: Lee, Joo Eun, Nam, Chung Mo, Lee, Sang Gyu, Park, Sohee, Kim, Tae Hyun, Park, Eun‐Cheol
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Hindawi Limited 01.09.2019
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Body mass; Body mass index; Body size; Body weight; Breast; Breast Neoplasms - economics; Breast Neoplasms - etiology; Cancer; cancer burden; Cohort analysis; Cohort Studies; Colorectal carcinoma; Colorectal Neoplasms - economics; Colorectal Neoplasms - etiology; Costs; Costs and Cost Analysis; cost‐of‐illness; economic burden; Economic impact; Economics; Female; Health Care Costs; Health risk assessment; Health risks; Humans; Impact analysis; Kidney cancer; Kidney Neoplasms - economics; Kidney Neoplasms - etiology; Liver; Liver cancer; Liver Neoplasms - economics; Liver Neoplasms - etiology; Male; Men; Middle Aged; Neoplasms - economics; Neoplasms - etiology; Nursing; Obesity; Obesity - complications; Overweight; Population studies; Population-based studies; Proportional Hazards Models; Republic of Korea; Risk analysis; Risk factors; Statistical models; Republic of Korea; South Korea; cost-of-illness; cancer burden; economic burden; obesity
• ISSN: 0961-5423; 1365-2354
• DOI: 10.1111/ecc.13084

Objective Cancer is a major cause of the burden of disease, and obesity is widely recognised one of the most important modifiable risk factor of cancer. Considering the economic impact of obesity and cancer, it is necessary to measure the economic burden of cancer attributable to excess body mass index (BMI). Methods This study used medical check‐up sample cohort data of National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) claims and during 2002–2015. To estimate the costs (direct and indirect) according to obesity‐related cancer sites, we performed a Cox proportional hazard model and cost of illness (COI) methods. Results Among male obesity‐related cancer sites, the largest total costs caused by overweight or obesity were 5.5 trillion USD for liver cancer, 1.8 trillion USD for colorectal cancer and 1.6 trillion USD for kidney cancer. Among women, post‐menopausal breast, liver and colorectal cancers had the largest total costs attributable to excess BMI (breast: 3.7 trillion USD, liver: 2.3 trillion USD, colorectal: 2.1 trillion USD). Conclusions Approximately, 4.5% and 15.8% of total costs in obesity‐related cancers can be reduced in men and women respectively. This study's findings highlight the importance of improved interventions, which can yield healthier lives and economic benefits beyond simply reducing cancer incidence and mortality.