Making the Case: Clinical Assessment of Financial Toxicity

Immunotherapy-associated symptoms, distress, financial toxicity and unmet supportive care needs of patients with cancer

PURPOSE

To examine the unmet care needs (i.e., overall needs and need subdomains [physical and daily living needs, psychological and emotional needs, care and support needs, and health-system and informational needs]) of patients with cancer undergoing immunotherapy alone or in combination with other anticancer therapies, as well as related influencing factors.

METHODS

A cross-sectional design was adopted. Cancer patients who received immunotherapy completed consent and questionnaires. Unmet care needs were evaluated with the Chinese version of the Supportive Care Needs Survey Screening Tool, symptom severity with the Symptom Severity Scale, distress severity with the Distress Thermometer Scale, and financial toxicity using the Financial Toxicity - Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy Questionnaire.

RESULTS

In total, 105 patients were surveyed. The most frequently reported unmet needs were psychological and emotional needs (56.2%) followed by health-system and informational needs (36.2%). The major factors associated with unmet care needs and their subdomains were years of education, symptoms, distress, and financial toxicity. Years of education predicted overall unmet care needs, psychological and emotional needs, and care and support needs; symptoms predicted overall unmet care needs and all four subdomains; distress predicted psychological and emotional needs and health-system and informational needs; and financial toxicity predicted overall needs and psychological and emotional needs.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with higher education, severe symptoms, distress, and financial toxicity reported more unmet care needs. The findings of this study could be incorporated into immunotherapy-related clinical practice guidelines and future interventions to improve the quality of cancer care.

Relationship between nurses' perceptions and financial toxicity management in the public health insurance system

Aims: To describe nursing practices for financial toxicity management based on nurses' perceptions. Materials & methods: A survey was conducted with 615 oncology nurses in Japan, focusing on nurses' perspectives on the importance of financial toxicity, nursing practices to manage financial toxicity and factors inhibiting its management. Results: A total of 521 participated, of whom 266 respondents (51.1%) considered nurses' role important, and they engaged in a significantly higher proportion of nursing practices. Participants with greater perceptions of their role included certified or specialized nurses and nurses responsible for outpatient care. Conclusion: Interventions leveraging the expertise of certified or specialized nurses and nurses involved in outpatient care could help to spread proactive nurse practices addressing financial toxicity.

Liquid Biopsy: A Tool for the Diagnostic and Prognostic Evaluation of Cancers

Liquid biopsy is defined as the process of obtaining material for pathologic examination and analysis from body fluids. Liquid biopsy has been intensively researched for its clinical application in patients with solid malignancies, including melanoma and colon, breast, and lung cancers. This will become a standard and routine tool for the diagnostic and prognostic evaluation of all cancer types. This article provides an overview of liquid biopsy, its uses in cancer management, and its implications for nursing practice.

Self-Reported Risk Factors for Financial Distress and Attitudes Regarding Cost Discussions in Cancer Care: A Single-Institution Cross-Sectional Pilot Study of Breast Reconstruction Recipients

BACKGROUND

High treatment costs associated with breast cancer are a substantial burden to patients and society. Despite mounting awareness, patient perspectives about the value of cost discussions in breast reconstruction and risk factors for financial distress are unknown.

METHODS

The authors performed a single-institution, cross-sectional survey of all women who underwent breast reconstruction following mastectomy or lumpectomy for breast cancer or risk reduction. Questions were derived from previously published survey items, and the authors leveraged regression analysis to identify patient-level risk factors for major financial distress.

RESULTS

A total of 647 of 2293 patients returned the survey questionnaires (28.2 percent response rate). From the 647 respondents, 399 (62 percent) underwent breast reconstruction, and of these, 140 (35 percent) reported that total treatment expenses were higher than expected. One hundred twenty-nine breast reconstruction patients (32 percent) paid over $5000 in out-of-pocket costs. Two hundred eighty-four (71 percent) felt that surgeons should explain the estimated out-of-pocket costs when choosing a type of breast reconstruction and 205 (51 percent) believed that a financial consultation should be scheduled with every new cancer diagnosis. However, only 52 patients (13 percent) reported having had cost discussions with the treatment team. The incidence of major financial distress was n = 70 (18 percent), and following regression analysis, higher credit score and annual income were associated with a 66 percent and 69 percent risk reduction, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Recipients of breast reconstruction demonstrate unanticipated and unplanned financial strain related to out-of-pocket expenses and believe that cost-consciousness should impact treatment decisions. Lower income and credit score are associated with financial distress. Cost discussions may optimize decision-making in preference sensitive conditions.

Effective Cost Conversations: Addressing Financial Toxicity and Cost-Related Health Literacy

Cancer survivors have greater risk of experiencing financial toxicity, or the undue financial burden and stress that patients face related to the costs of cancer care. Cost-related health literacy promotion should begin at the point of care with effective cost-of-care conversations that help to identify and manage patient financial needs. Nurses are uniquely positioned and often sought out as trusted sources of cost-of-care information and play a key role in engaging in effective cost conversations that help consumers to understand and manage their costs of care.

It Is Time to Ask About Financial Toxicity

Increasing attention in the oncology community has turned to the problem of financial toxicity, a term coined to reflect the significant negative impact that high medical costs combined with income interruption during treatment may cause. Numerous studies have described how widespread the problem is, affecting as many as 73% of patients with cancer, and its association with negative outcomes, such as decreased health-related quality of life, unplanned and unwanted lifestyle changes because of lack of funds, and intentional nonadherence to planned therapy in an attempt to decrease out-of-pocket costs. Several articles describe brief screening tools, such as the Distress Thermometer, and psychometrically tested assessment instruments, like the Comprehensive Score for Financial Toxicity, that are potentially suitable to incorporate into routine clinical practice. However, there are very few tested interventions for financial toxicity, despite the recognized need for evidence-based practice in this area.