TY - JOUR
T1 - Women Who Are Young, Non-White, and with Lower Socioeconomic Status Report Higher Financial Toxicity up to 1 Year After Breast Cancer Surgery
T2 - A Mixed-Effects Regression Analysis
AU - Politi, Mary C.
AU - Yen, Renata W.
AU - Elwyn, Glyn
AU - O'Malley, A. James
AU - Saunders, Catherine H.
AU - Schubbe, Danielle
AU - Forcino, Rachel
AU - Durand, Marie Anne
N1 - Funding Information:
Financial support for this study was provided by a grant from Patient‐Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI; 1511‐32875). The statements presented in this article are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the Patient‐Centered Outcomes Research Institute, its Board of Governors, or its Methodology Committee.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 The Authors. The Oncologist published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of AlphaMed Press.
PY - 2021/1
Y1 - 2021/1
N2 - Purpose: We examined self-reported financial toxicity and out-of-pocket expenses among adult women with breast cancer. Methods: Patients spoke English, Spanish, or Mandarin Chinese, were aged 18+ years, had stage I–IIIA breast cancer, and were eligible for breast-conserving and mastectomy surgery. Participants completed surveys about out-of-pocket costs and financial toxicity at 1 week, 12 weeks, and 1 year postsurgery. Results: Three hundred ninety-five of 448 eligible patients (88.2%) from the parent trial completed surveys. Excluding those reporting zero costs, crude mean ± SD out-of-pocket costs were $1,512 ± $2,074 at 1 week, $2,609 ± $6,369 at 12 weeks, and $3,308 ± $5,000 at 1 year postsurgery. Controlling for surgery, cancer stage, and demographics with surgeon and clinic as random effects, higher out-of-pocket costs were associated with higher financial toxicity 1 week and 12 weeks postsurgery (p <.001). Lower socioeconomic status (SES) was associated with lower out-of-pocket costs at each time point (p =.002–.013). One week postsurgery, participants with lower SES reported financial toxicity scores 1.02 points higher than participants with higher SES (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.08–1.95). Black and non-White/non-Black participants reported financial toxicity scores 1.91 (95% CI, 0.46–3.37) and 2.55 (95% CI, 1.11–3.99) points higher than White participants. Older (65+ years) participants reported financial toxicity scores 2.58 points lower than younger (<65 years) participants (95% CI, −3.41, −1.74). Younger participants reported significantly higher financial toxicity at each time point. Discussion: Younger age, non-White race, and lower SES were associated with higher financial toxicity regardless of costs. Out-of-pocket costs increased over time and were positively associated with financial toxicity. Future work should reduce the impact of cancer care costs among vulnerable groups. Implications for Practice: This study was one of the first to examine out-of-pocket costs and financial toxicity up to 1 year after breast cancer surgery. Younger age, Black race, race other than Black or White, and lower socioeconomic status were associated with higher financial toxicity. Findings highlight the importance of addressing patients’ financial toxicity in several ways, particularly for groups vulnerable to its effects.
AB - Purpose: We examined self-reported financial toxicity and out-of-pocket expenses among adult women with breast cancer. Methods: Patients spoke English, Spanish, or Mandarin Chinese, were aged 18+ years, had stage I–IIIA breast cancer, and were eligible for breast-conserving and mastectomy surgery. Participants completed surveys about out-of-pocket costs and financial toxicity at 1 week, 12 weeks, and 1 year postsurgery. Results: Three hundred ninety-five of 448 eligible patients (88.2%) from the parent trial completed surveys. Excluding those reporting zero costs, crude mean ± SD out-of-pocket costs were $1,512 ± $2,074 at 1 week, $2,609 ± $6,369 at 12 weeks, and $3,308 ± $5,000 at 1 year postsurgery. Controlling for surgery, cancer stage, and demographics with surgeon and clinic as random effects, higher out-of-pocket costs were associated with higher financial toxicity 1 week and 12 weeks postsurgery (p <.001). Lower socioeconomic status (SES) was associated with lower out-of-pocket costs at each time point (p =.002–.013). One week postsurgery, participants with lower SES reported financial toxicity scores 1.02 points higher than participants with higher SES (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.08–1.95). Black and non-White/non-Black participants reported financial toxicity scores 1.91 (95% CI, 0.46–3.37) and 2.55 (95% CI, 1.11–3.99) points higher than White participants. Older (65+ years) participants reported financial toxicity scores 2.58 points lower than younger (<65 years) participants (95% CI, −3.41, −1.74). Younger participants reported significantly higher financial toxicity at each time point. Discussion: Younger age, non-White race, and lower SES were associated with higher financial toxicity regardless of costs. Out-of-pocket costs increased over time and were positively associated with financial toxicity. Future work should reduce the impact of cancer care costs among vulnerable groups. Implications for Practice: This study was one of the first to examine out-of-pocket costs and financial toxicity up to 1 year after breast cancer surgery. Younger age, Black race, race other than Black or White, and lower socioeconomic status were associated with higher financial toxicity. Findings highlight the importance of addressing patients’ financial toxicity in several ways, particularly for groups vulnerable to its effects.
KW - Breast cancer
KW - Costs of care
KW - Financial toxicity
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85092272002&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1002/onco.13544
DO - 10.1002/onco.13544
M3 - Article
C2 - 33000504
AN - SCOPUS:85092272002
VL - 26
SP - e142-e152
JO - Oncologist
JF - Oncologist
SN - 1083-7159
IS - 1
ER -