Years of Potential Life Lost Due to Premature Mortality from Malignant Neoplasms in the Economically Active Population

Background: Standard mortality indicators are insufficient for assessing the burden of malignant neoplasms (MN). Years of Potential Life Lost (YPLL) account for both the number of deaths and the age at death, providing a more precise estimate of the socio‑economic impact and informing the prioritization of preventive measures.

Objective: To analyze the dynamics of sex‑ and age‑specific YPLL due to MN in Russia (2018–2023) and to identify groups with the highest losses in the economically active population.

Materials and Methods: Aggregated Rosstat mortality data (Form C‑51) on MN among individuals aged 15–79 years (2018–2023) were obtained. YPLL were calculated following the methodology of Russian Research Institute of Health (sum of the products of the number of deaths and the remaining years of life; midpoints of age intervals; life expectancy standards: men 69 years; women 79 years). YPLL rates were standardized per 100,000 individuals within each sex and age group. Statistical analysis: descriptive methods; trends and projections up to 2030 – linear regression (OLS); critical significance level p=0.05; software: IBM SPSS 26.0 (IBM Corporation, USA), MS Excel 2019 (Microsoft Corporation, USA).

Results: Overall mortality and YPLL rates decreased in both sexes (10% over 2018–2023: from 2,127.7 to 1,906.6 per 100,000 population). A total of 1.173 million premature deaths occurred (607.4 thousand women; 565.5 thousand men), accumulating 13.495 million YPLL (8.734 million women; 4.760 million men). The largest absolute YPLL were observed in men aged 45–64 (~75% of all PYLL) and women aged 50–69 (>60%). An increase in YPLL was noted among women aged 15–19 years (+33% from 2018 to 2023) along with localized increases in 2023 (in several female and male age groups). The proportion of female YPLL rose from 63.6% (2018) to 65.6% (2023), projected to 68.4% by 2030.

Conclusions: Economically significant YPLL due to MN are concentrated among men aged 45–64 and women aged 50–69, targeted prevention and early diagnosis in these groups are essential. Program targets should be based on national life expectancy standards (69/79 years), rather than on elevated international thresholds.

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