The American Cancer Society reports the number of cancer survivors in the United States has increased four-fold in the last 30 years, and prevalence of cancer is expected to double by 2030. Consequently, for the seventh consecutive year, cancer is the leading reason for long-term disability absence in 2007, found Unum, a provider of group disability insurance.
The company reports that 12.2% of its long-term disability claims resulted from cancer cases. According to the National Institutes of Health, cancer cost more than $219 billion in 2007, including $89 billion in health care expenditures and $130 billion in lost productivity.
Yet, Unum also notes increasing survival rates and success in returning to work after a cancer-related disability leave, as well as a growing number of paid cancer claims.
For example, between 2001 and 2005, the company saw a 77% increase in return-to-work rates in cases of short-term cancer disability and a 24 % increase in return-to-work rates in cases of long-term cancer disability.
"Survivorship rates have moved to levels that are more characteristic of a serious chronic disease than of a terminal illness," says Kenneth Mitchell, Unum's vice president of health and productivity. "There are clear patterns of factors leading to return-to-work success, including early identification, age in long-term disability cases and work-site flexibility," he adds.
Unum's annual report on disability trends reflects 2007 data from its disability database, which tracks 25 million covered individuals and an estimated 178,000 employer policies.
The other top causes of long-term disability claims for 2007 included complications from pregnancy (12.1%) and back injuries (11%).
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