Handling the Burden of Financial Toxicity While Undergoing Cancer Therapy

The cost of anti-cancer therapies varies by type, but most are considered expensive and can cost upwards of $100,000. The oftentimes negative impact of this cost affects the patient in many ways, whether it is due to the financial strain or the mental effect. CancerNetwork® spoke with Rachel Greenup, MD, MPH, who, among her many specialties, focuses on ways to mitigate the financial burden that cancer therapy has on patients, as well as their loved ones.

According to Greenup, MD, MPH, a multi-pronged approach is needed to reduce the financial toxicity often associated with breast cancer treatment, as well as other types of cancer treatment. One of the first things that care providers need to establish is that patients should not feel shame for being unable to afford the therapies, as many patients struggle with the same thing.

Notably, delaying discussions about financial toxicity can often exacerbate the problem, as case managers and social workers may have resources or grants that could reduce the burden. By delaying the discussion, the debts and bills can rack up and become too great of a hurdle to overcome.

Greenup also emphasized the importance of financial navigation, which includes reducing the number of times a patient is forced to attend appointments because time spent at an appointment is time not spent at a job or making money.

Greenup is a professor of surgery, the section chief of Breast Surgery, and the co-director of the Center for Breast Cancer at Smilow Cancer Hospital of Yale School of Medicine.

Transcript:

Financial toxicity describes the distress of high cancer treatment costs for [patients] going through oncology treatment, breast cancer or otherwise. It’s a multi-pronged approach [that is] needed to reduce or eliminate financial toxicity. The first thing patients and families need to know is that this is a big struggle for many people, and there should be no shame in asking for help with the affordability of care. Many case managers and social workers have access to either institutional- or hospital-level grants, or to regional nonprofit organizations that can also help defray the cost of care. Financial navigation is important, [like] helping patients think about coordinating their care so they’re not adding additional appointments or coming back and forth from the hospital many times, which can obviously cut into the ability to work and get paid for that work. I encourage patients and families to ask, to first say, “Is there someone I can talk to about affording cancer treatment?” and to not feel shame. Unfortunately, many people don’t ask for help until they’re in crisis, at which point the bills are astronomically high, and the solution or the fix for those high costs is much more difficult to find.