# Unveiling economic and humanistic burden of hematologic malignancies in Japan with personal health record data

## TL;DR

This study uses real-world data to show that hematologic malignancies in Japan cause significant economic and quality of life burdens, especially due to lost productivity.

## Contribution

The study provides new insights into the economic and humanistic burden of hematologic malignancies in Japan using personal health records and productivity data.

## Key findings

- Productivity loss accounted for most of the total economic burden, with presenteeism being more costly than absenteeism.
- Quality of life was significantly lower in patients compared to the general Japanese population.
- Direct medical costs were lower than productivity losses, highlighting the need for supportive policies for working patients.

## Abstract

To characterize the economic and humanistic burden of patients with hematologic malignancies in Japan using real-world data. Patients with a claim record for a hematologic malignancy who responded to a survey regarding productivity loss and quality of life (QoL) were analyzed to assess their direct medical cost, productivity loss, and QoL along with their levels of comorbidity. This study identified a main cohort of 122 patients with a hematologic malignancy who responded to Work Productivity and Activity Impairment (WPAI) and EQ-5D-5 L questionnaires. Median patient age was 54.5 years (range 25–71 years), with median Charlson Comorbidity Score (CCI) of 2. Most of the mean total cost (USD 12,836.14; JPY 1,670,624) was attributed to productivity loss (mean USD 8,106.39; JPY 1,055,046) rather than direct medical cost (mean USD 4,729.76; JPY 615,578). Presenteeism (mean USD 5,117.84; JPY 666,086) accounted for a greater proportion of productivity loss than absenteeism (mean USD 2,988.55; JPY 388,960). Deterioration in QoL (-0.045) was observed in comparison to the general population in Japan. The results point to the need for a social security policy to provide appropriate support such as better therapies or access for patients who must receive treatment while still working.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1038/s41598-026-36287-7.