Do Medical Treatments Work for Work? Evidence from Breast Cancer Patients
研究放射治疗对乳腺癌患者死亡率和经济结果的影响，发现治疗十年后就业率提高37%，收入提高45%，可减少70%的因诊断导致的就业下降。
We investigate the effects of radiation therapy on the mortality and economic outcomes of breast cancer patients. We implement a 2SLS strategy within a difference-in-difference framework exploiting variation in treatment stemming from a medical guideline change in Denmark. We reproduce the results from an RCT showing the lifesaving benefits of radiotherapy. We show radiation therapy also has economic returns: Ten years after diagnosis, treatment increases employment by 37 percent and earnings by 45 percent. Previous work has documented a substantial employment drop after a breast cancer diagnosis. Our results imply that radiation therapy can reduce this effect by 70 percent.