{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,1]],"date-time":"2026-06-01T18:10:41Z","timestamp":1780337441041,"version":"3.54.1"},"reference-count":22,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"6","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,1]],"date-time":"2026-06-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1780272000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Current Oncology"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background\/Objectives: Sickness absence due to breast cancer generates significant indirect costs. This nationwide registry-based study aimed to evaluate temporal patterns and the population-level burden of sickness absence, rehabilitation benefit utilization, and social insurance expenditures related to breast cancer among women in Poland between 2020 and 2024. Methods: This nationwide analysis is based on the Social Insurance Institution registry. Data on females unable to work due to breast cancer were analyzed (ICD-10: C50). Short-term sickness absence was analyzed. Results: The number of sick leave days due to breast cancer varied from 1,241,223 in 2021 to 1,444,863 in 2024. The number of sick leave certificates increased every year: from 55,732 in 2020 to 79,979 in 2024. The most dynamic growth between 2020 and 2024 occurred in the 45\u201349 group, where sick leave days increased +33.4% and certificates increased +70.6%. There were significant regional differences. The sickness absence days per certificate due to breast cancer decreased over time, from 23.5 days in 2020 to 18.1 days in 2024. The total number of medical certificates on rehabilitation benefit due to breast cancer varied from 4811 in 2021 to 5281 in 2024. Social insurance expenditures on sickness absence varied from 112,064.9 thousand PLN (approximately 25.24 million EUR) in 2020 to 207,687.9 thousand PLN (approximately 48.3 million EUR) in 2024 and expenditures on rehabilitation benefits varied from 56,812.8 thousand PLN (12.8 million EUR) in 2020 to 89,692.6 thousand PLN (20.83 million EUR) in 2024. Conclusions: This population-based registry study revealed a high economic burden of sickness absence due to breast cancer in Poland.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/curroncol33060326","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,1]],"date-time":"2026-06-01T17:11:01Z","timestamp":1780333861000},"page":"326","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Temporal Patterns of Breast Cancer-Related Sickness Absence and Social Insurance Expenditures Among Women in Poland, 2020\u20132024: A Nationwide Registry-Based Study"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"33","author":[{"given":"Piotr Artur","family":"Winciunas","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Public Health, Centre of Postgraduate Medical Education, 01-826 Warsaw, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2051-1460","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Justyna","family":"Grudzi\u0105\u017c-S\u0119kowska","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Public Health, Centre of Postgraduate Medical Education, 01-826 Warsaw, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0002-1176-4076","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Agnieszka","family":"Mazurek","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Public Health, Centre of Postgraduate Medical Education, 01-826 Warsaw, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Kuba","family":"S\u0119kowski","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Public Health, Centre of Postgraduate Medical Education, 01-826 Warsaw, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0054-4860","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Wojciech S.","family":"Zgliczy\u0144ski","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Public Health, Centre of Postgraduate Medical Education, 01-826 Warsaw, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7142-5167","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Mateusz","family":"Jankowski","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Public Health, Centre of Postgraduate Medical Education, 01-826 Warsaw, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,1]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"103851","DOI":"10.1016\/j.breast.2024.103851","article-title":"Inequality in breast cancer: Global statistics from 2022 to 2050","volume":"79","author":"Liao","year":"2025","journal-title":"Breast"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Freihat, O., Sipos, D., and Kovacs, A. (2025). Global burden and projections of breast cancer incidence and mortality to 2050: A comprehensive analysis of GLOBOCAN data. Front. Public Health, 13.","DOI":"10.3389\/fpubh.2025.1622954"},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1154","DOI":"10.1038\/s41591-025-03502-3","article-title":"Global patterns and trends in breast cancer incidence and mortality across 185 countries","volume":"31","author":"Kim","year":"2025","journal-title":"Nat. Med."},{"key":"ref_4","unstructured":"World Cancer Research Fund (2026, February 12). Breast Cancer Statistics. Available online: https:\/\/www.wcrf.org\/preventing-cancer\/cancer-statistics\/breast-cancer-statistics\/."},{"key":"ref_5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Sierocki, W., Kornowska, L., Dudek, A., Szpakowicz, M., Dompe, C., and Roszak, M. (2025). The burden of breast cancer in Poland: Current status and future directions. Front. Oncol., 15.","DOI":"10.3389\/fonc.2025.1599741"},{"key":"ref_6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"4","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ejca.2021.04.026","article-title":"European trends in breast cancer mortality, 1980\u20132017 and predictions to 2025","volume":"152","author":"Wojtyla","year":"2021","journal-title":"Eur. J. Cancer"},{"key":"ref_7","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"129","DOI":"10.5603\/NJO.2023.0026","article-title":"Cancer incidence and mortality in Poland in 2020","volume":"73","author":"Wojciechowska","year":"2023","journal-title":"Nowotw. J. Oncol."},{"key":"ref_8","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"122","DOI":"10.5603\/NJO.a2023.0025","article-title":"Implementation of a population-based breast cancer prevention program in Poland before, during and after the COVID-19 pandemic\u2014Poland in comparison with other countries","volume":"73","author":"Borowska","year":"2023","journal-title":"Nowotw. J. Oncol."},{"key":"ref_9","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Sierocki, W., Kornowska, L., Slapal, O., Koska, A., Sierocka, G., Dudek, A., Dompe, C., Suchodolski, M., Keczmer, P., and Roszak, M. (2025). Analyzing the gaps in breast cancer diagnostics in Poland\u2014A retrospective observational study in the data donation model. Diagnostics, 15.","DOI":"10.3390\/diagnostics15172127"},{"key":"ref_10","unstructured":"National Health Fund (2026, February 12). Data on the Implementation of Preventive Programs (Mammography, Cytology, Colonoscopy), Available online: https:\/\/www.nfz.gov.pl\/dla-pacjenta\/programy-profilaktyczne\/dane-o-realizacji-programow\/."},{"key":"ref_11","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"159","DOI":"10.1016\/j.annonc.2023.11.016","article-title":"Early breast cancer: ESMO Clinical Practice Guideline for diagnosis, treatment and follow-up","volume":"35","author":"Loibl","year":"2024","journal-title":"Ann. Oncol."},{"key":"ref_12","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"101871","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jogoh.2020.101871","article-title":"Absenteeism and indirect costs during the year following the diagnosis of an operable breast cancer: A prospective multicentric cohort study","volume":"50","author":"Ferrier","year":"2021","journal-title":"J. Gynecol. Obstet. Hum. Reprod."},{"key":"ref_13","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"345","DOI":"10.21037\/apm-25-30","article-title":"New progress and challenges of targeted therapies for breast cancer","volume":"14","author":"Wang","year":"2025","journal-title":"Ann. Palliat. Med."},{"key":"ref_14","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Sun, L., Legood, R., Dos-Santos-Silva, I., Gaiha, S.M., and Sadique, Z. (2018). Global treatment costs of breast cancer by stage: A systematic review. PLoS ONE, 13.","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0207993"},{"key":"ref_15","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2700","DOI":"10.1007\/s12325-024-02893-y","article-title":"Direct and indirect costs of breast cancer and associated implications: A systematic review","volume":"41","author":"Franklin","year":"2024","journal-title":"Adv. Ther."},{"key":"ref_16","unstructured":"Social Insurance Institution (2026, February 12). Social Security in Poland. Available online: https:\/\/www.zus.pl\/documents\/10182\/167615\/Social%20Security%20in%20Poland\/71ffe1b1-c142-48fa-a67b-0c7e1cec6eb6."},{"key":"ref_17","unstructured":"National Bank of Poland (2026, February 12). Currency Exchange Rates. Available online: https:\/\/nbp.pl\/statystyka-i-sprawozdawczosc\/kursy\/tabela-a\/."},{"key":"ref_18","unstructured":"Statistics Poland (2026, February 12). Demographic Yearbook of Poland 2025, Available online: https:\/\/stat.gov.pl\/en\/topics\/statistical-yearbooks\/statistical-yearbooks\/demographic-yearbook-of-poland-2025,3,19.html."},{"key":"ref_19","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Mao, Y., Chu, X., Xie, F., Fu, L., Ding, Z., Zhang, W., Zhang, Q., Tang, C., Zhu, S., and Cao, W. (2025). Estimates and projections of the global economic cost of breast cancers from 2021 to 2050. Front. Endocrinol., 16.","DOI":"10.3389\/fendo.2025.1692619"},{"key":"ref_20","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"3289","DOI":"10.1038\/s41598-024-53878-4","article-title":"Productivity losses from short-term work absence due to neoplasms in Poland","volume":"14","year":"2024","journal-title":"Sci. Rep."},{"key":"ref_21","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Seweryn, M., Banas, T., Augustynska, J., Lorenc, O., Kopel, J., Pluta, E., and Skora, T. (2022). The direct and indirect costs of breast cancer in Poland: Estimates for 2017\u20132019. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health, 19.","DOI":"10.3390\/ijerph192416384"},{"key":"ref_22","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2249","DOI":"10.3390\/curroncol30020174","article-title":"\u2018Beyond Cancer\u2019 rehabilitation program to support breast cancer survivors to return to health, wellness and work: Feasibility study outcomes","volume":"30","author":"Sheppard","year":"2023","journal-title":"Curr. Oncol."}],"container-title":["Current Oncology"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/1718-7729\/33\/6\/326\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,1]],"date-time":"2026-06-01T17:42:47Z","timestamp":1780335767000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/1718-7729\/33\/6\/326"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,1]]},"references-count":22,"journal-issue":{"issue":"6","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,6]]}},"alternative-id":["curroncol33060326"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/curroncol33060326","relation":{},"ISSN":["1718-7729"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1718-7729","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,1]]}}}