Cancer patients who face a significant financial burden for treatment and recovery said these costs affected them physically, mentally, economically and socially, according to a study published in the Journal of Oncology Practice.
"It turns out that financial burden is directly related to health and well-being," study coauthor Joohyun Park, a doctoral student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Pharmacy, told Reuters. "The more a cancer patient spends on healthcare, the worse the quality of life and mental health."
Ms. Park and co-author Kevin Look, PhD, PharmD, pharmacy professor at UW-Madison, examined 2010-14 data from the national Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, which included responses from approximately 6,800 cancer patients.
The study authors found 15 percent of cancer patients had medical costs that were over 10 percent of their family income. Additionally, six percent of these patients had medical costs greater than 20 percent of their family income. These two groups of patients were more likely to report a lower health-related quality of life and have more of a tendency toward general distress.
"When cancer patients spend more on their cancer treatment and other healthcare, they have less to spend on activities they enjoy and other needs, which can negatively affect their well-being," said Ms. Park.