Financial Counseling Is Associated with Reduced Financial Difficulty Scores in Head and Neck Cancer Patients Treated with Radiation Therapy.

financial counseling financial toxicity head and neck cancer

Journal

Cancers
ISSN: 2072-6694
Titre abrégé: Cancers (Basel)
Pays: Switzerland
ID NLM: 101526829

Informations de publication

Date de publication:
21 May 2021
Historique:
received: 07 05 2021
revised: 12 05 2021
accepted: 19 05 2021
entrez: 2 6 2021
pubmed: 3 6 2021
medline: 3 6 2021
Statut: epublish

Résumé

Financial toxicity (FT) can be devastating to cancer patients, and solutions are urgently needed. We investigated the impact of financial counseling (FC) on FT in head and neck cancer (HNC) patients. Via a single-institution database, we reviewed the charts of HNC patients who underwent definitive or post-operative radiotherapy, from October 2013 to December 2020. Of these patients, 387 had provided baseline and post-treatment information regarding financial difficulty. In July 2018, a dedicated financial counselor was provided for radiation therapy patients and we subsequently examined the impact of FC on financial difficulty scores. Following the hiring of a dedicated financial counselor, there was a significant increase in the proportion of patients receiving FC (5.3% vs. 62.7%, Providing a dedicated financial counselor significantly increased the proportion of HNC receiving FC, resulting in the stabilization of financial difficulty scores post-treatment. Based on a multiple linear regression model, FC was independently associated with reduced financial difficulty. The employment of a financial counselor may be a viable, hospital-based approach to begin to address FT in HNC.

Sections du résumé

BACKGROUND BACKGROUND
Financial toxicity (FT) can be devastating to cancer patients, and solutions are urgently needed. We investigated the impact of financial counseling (FC) on FT in head and neck cancer (HNC) patients.
METHODS METHODS
Via a single-institution database, we reviewed the charts of HNC patients who underwent definitive or post-operative radiotherapy, from October 2013 to December 2020. Of these patients, 387 had provided baseline and post-treatment information regarding financial difficulty. In July 2018, a dedicated financial counselor was provided for radiation therapy patients and we subsequently examined the impact of FC on financial difficulty scores.
RESULTS RESULTS
Following the hiring of a dedicated financial counselor, there was a significant increase in the proportion of patients receiving FC (5.3% vs. 62.7%,
CONCLUSIONS CONCLUSIONS
Providing a dedicated financial counselor significantly increased the proportion of HNC receiving FC, resulting in the stabilization of financial difficulty scores post-treatment. Based on a multiple linear regression model, FC was independently associated with reduced financial difficulty. The employment of a financial counselor may be a viable, hospital-based approach to begin to address FT in HNC.

Identifiants

DOI: 10.3390/cancers13112516 PMID: 34063890 PMC: PMC8196601
pubmed: 34063890
pii: cancers13112516
doi: 10.3390/cancers13112516
pmc: PMC8196601
pii:
doi:

Types de publication

Journal Article

Langues

eng

Subventions

Organisme : NCI NIH HHS
ID : P30CA016056
Pays : United States

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Auteurs

Mark Farrugia (M)

Department of Radiation Medicine, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, 665 Elm Street, Buffalo, NY 14203, USA.
Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, 955 Main Street, Buffalo, NY 14203, USA.
ORCID: 0000-0002-0261-0334

Han Yu (H)

Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, 665 Elm Street, Buffalo, NY 14203, USA.

Sung Jun Ma (SJ)

Department of Radiation Medicine, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, 665 Elm Street, Buffalo, NY 14203, USA.
Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, 955 Main Street, Buffalo, NY 14203, USA.
ORCID: 0000-0002-0838-3996

Austin J Iovoli (AJ)

Department of Radiation Medicine, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, 665 Elm Street, Buffalo, NY 14203, USA.
Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, 955 Main Street, Buffalo, NY 14203, USA.

Kayleigh Erickson (K)

Department of Cancer Prevention and Control, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, 665 Elm Street, Buffalo, NY 14203, USA.

Elizabeth Wendel (E)

Department of Cancer Prevention and Control, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, 665 Elm Street, Buffalo, NY 14203, USA.

Kristopher Attwood (K)

Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, 665 Elm Street, Buffalo, NY 14203, USA.

Kimberly E Wooten (KE)

Department of Head and Neck Surgery, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, 665 Elm Street, Buffalo, NY 14203, USA.

Vishal Gupta (V)

Department of Head and Neck Surgery, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, 665 Elm Street, Buffalo, NY 14203, USA.

Ryan P McSpadden (RP)

Department of Head and Neck Surgery, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, 665 Elm Street, Buffalo, NY 14203, USA.

Moni A Kuriakose (MA)

Department of Head and Neck Surgery, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, 665 Elm Street, Buffalo, NY 14203, USA.

Michael R Markiewicz (MR)

Department of Head and Neck Surgery, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, 665 Elm Street, Buffalo, NY 14203, USA.
Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, School of Dental Medicine, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, 3435 Main Street, Buffalo, NY 14214, USA.
Department of Neurosurgery, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, 955 Main Street, Buffalo, NY 14203, USA.

Jon M Chan (JM)

Department of Head and Neck Surgery, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, 665 Elm Street, Buffalo, NY 14203, USA.

Wesley L Hicks (WL)

Department of Head and Neck Surgery, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, 665 Elm Street, Buffalo, NY 14203, USA.

Mary E Platek (ME)

Department of Radiation Medicine, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, 665 Elm Street, Buffalo, NY 14203, USA.
Department of Cancer Prevention and Control, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, 665 Elm Street, Buffalo, NY 14203, USA.
Department of Dietetics, D'Youville College, 270 Porter Avenue, Buffalo, NY 14201, USA.

Andrew D Ray (AD)

Department of Cancer Prevention and Control, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, 665 Elm Street, Buffalo, NY 14203, USA.

Elizabeth A Repasky (EA)

Department of Immunology, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, 665 Elm Street, Buffalo, NY 14203, USA.

Anurag K Singh (AK)

Department of Radiation Medicine, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, 665 Elm Street, Buffalo, NY 14203, USA.

Classifications MeSH