HONOLULU – Financial toxicity may be common among gynecologic cancer patients starting a new line of treatment, based on the results of a survey presented at the Society of Gynecologic Oncology’s Annual Meeting on Women’s Cancer.
More than half of the 121 patients surveyed reported mild, moderate, or severe financial toxicity, Margaret Liang, MD, of University of Alabama at Birmingham, said in presenting the findings.
Younger age and lower income were both risk factors for financial toxicity, and having insurance did not protect patients from financial toxicity. Dr. Liang noted that insurance coverage “was not protective for financial toxicity, as the majority of those who screened positive for financial toxicity were insured.” Specifically, 89% of patients with financial toxicity and 98% of patients without it were insured (P = .07).
Dr. Margaret Liang
“This finding supports financial toxicity screening regardless of insurance status and may favor universal screening,” Dr. Liang said.
She and her colleagues conducted the survey of 121 gynecologic cancer patients who had started a new line of systemic therapy in the previous 8 weeks.
The patients’ mean age was 59 years (range, 33-80), and 58% were starting their first line of systemic therapy. Half of the patients had a household income below $40,000, and about one-third of the patients were employed. Most had private (74%) or public (20%) insurance, and 7% of patients were uninsured.
To assess financial toxicity, the researchers used the Comprehensive Score for Financial Toxicity (COST). A score of less than 26 was used as a threshold of financial toxicity. The severity of financial toxicity was graded on a scale of 1 to 4, with a lower score indicating worse toxicity.
Patients were most concerned about having enough money to cover the cost of treatment. Patients reported the lowest mean score—0.97—in response to the statement, “I know that I have enough money in savings, retirement, or assets to cover the costs of my treatment.”
Patients were least concerned about losing their job or income. They reported the highest mean score—3.29—in response to the statement, “I am concerned about keeping my job and income, including working at home.” However, as Dr. Liang pointed out, only one-third of patients were employed at baseline.
In all, 54% of patients reported financial toxicity—37% mild, 16% moderate, and 1% severe.
Dr. Liang and her colleagues found that younger age and lower income were associated with an increased risk for financial toxicity. The mean age was 57 years in patients with financial toxicity and 62 years in patients without it (P = .02). Household incomes were below $40,000 in 63% of patients with financial toxicity and 34% of those without it (P less than .01).
The researchers also found that patients with financial toxicity were significantly more likely to say their cancer diagnosis resulted in lost wages, borrowed money, altered spending habits, the need to sacrifice other things, and not paying bills on time (P less than .01 for all).
On the other hand, patients with financial toxicity were not significantly more likely to become unemployed, file for bankruptcy, sell their house, or get a second job due to their cancer diagnosis.
However, it’s important to note that these data were collected within 8 weeks of patients starting their new line of therapy. The final survey results will include follow-up at 3 months and 6 months.
Dr. Liang said the fact that more than half of patients reported financial toxicity within 8 weeks of starting a new line of therapy suggests early interventions are needed to prevent or reduce financial toxicity. This may include counseling patients on anticipated costs of care, screening for financial toxicity, and linking patients to available financial resources.
Dr. Liang had no financial disclosures.
jensmith@mdedge.com
SOURCE: Liang M et al. SGO 2019. Abstract 8.