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UrduPrior research has shown that cancer patients who experience financial toxicity have worse quality of life and may be at higher risk of death.
The study, published in JCO Oncology Practice, includes findings from Pink Fund recipients who volunteered to participate in an online survey.
“This study confirms what we believed to be true, that issues regarding the cost of care, the potential for lost income due to treatment side effects and the financial burdens patients and their families may face need to be addressed early and often,” said Molly MacDonald, co-founder and CEO of Pink Fund.
This is the second study from this research team in which Pink Fund recipients have been included. The prior study sought to understand the complex components of financial toxicity, and identify ways to prevent it. This new study sought to obtain patient input on the best ways to screen patients for financial concerns during treatment.
The study surveyed 738 patients, primarily women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer. It showed that most patients prefer their providers to reach out regarding financial needs (83%), for this to take place early (82% when first diagnosed or starting treatment), and to be asked frequently about their financial concerns (78% at each appointment or once per month).
Key findings from the study indicate that most participants (58%) were not asked about financial stressors during treatment or did not receive assistance from their care team in relation to financial stressors. There were also differences in screening preferences based on insurance coverage, race/ethnicity, and income.
“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,” said study corresponding author Dr. Laila A. Gharzai, assistant professor of radiation oncology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and a Northwestern Medicine physician. “While this study was primarily in breast cancer patients, we can extrapolate these findings to all cancer patients, and this has important implications for policy. Continued work refining best practices for financial toxicity screening should incorporate these patient preferences.”
ABOUT PINK FUND
Pink Fund is a 501c3 non-profit organization that provides education and financial support to help meet basic needs, decrease stress levels, and allow breast cancer patients in active treatment to focus on healing while improving survivorship outcomes. Founded in 2006, Pink Fund has provided more than $8.7 million in financial relief to breast cancer survivors. Give help or get help at PinkFund.org.
