Financial hardship common in patients with cancer

Nearly half of patients with cancer experience some level of financial hardship (FH), according to a study published online Aug. 15 in JCO Oncology Practice.

Betina Yanez, Ph.D., from the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, and colleagues used data from 2,305 participants in the Northwestern University Improving the Management of Symptoms during and following Cancer Treatment trial to examine the longitudinal relationships between financial hardship, anxiety, and depression in patients with cancer.

The researchers found correlations between FH and depressive symptoms (r = 0.310) and anxiety (r = 0.289). Baseline and six-month depressive symptom levels predicted later FH (baseline: β = 0.079; six-month: β = 0.072), and nine-month FH significantly predicted 12-month depressive symptoms (β = 0.083), even after accounting for health care charges and out-of-pocket costs. Baseline and nine-month anxiety predicted subsequent FH (baseline: β = 0.097; nine-month: β = 0.071).

“The psychological toll of financial toxicity or the stress and worry that comes with such financial concerns is particularly distressing for patients who are already going through the difficulties of cancer treatment,” co-author Laila A. Gharzai, M.D., also from Northwestern University, said in a statement. “It is important to screen patients for risk of financial toxicity so that we can better identify those experiencing it and connect them with resources.”

Several authors disclosed ties to industry.

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