Why Financial Toxicity is About More Than Just Affording Treatment
Laila Gharzai, M.D., LLM, from the Department of Radiation Oncology at Northwestern University explains the concept of financial toxicity and how it affects breast cancer treatment outcomes.
The idea of financial toxicity combines the physical stress of having a disease like breast cancer with concerns about affording treatment, according to Laila Gharzai, M.D., LLM, from the Department of Radiation Oncology at Northwestern University.
Financial toxicity is multifactorial and often affects younger patients in lower socioeconomic areas from minoritized racial/ethnic groups.
“It's not just the bill that comes into your mailbox,” Gharzai said in an interview with Managed Healthcare Executive. “There is, unfortunately, a direct link between financial toxicity and things like overall quality of life, medication adherence, sometimes decision making about what type of treatment to get.”
Gharzai and her colleagues recently published the results of a survey study called Financial Toxicity Screening Preferences in Patients With Breast Cancer in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. The research team sent an anonymous survey to email subscribers of a nationwide breast cancer–specific philanthropic organization The Pink Fund, asking about financial toxicity screening preferences. Results revealed that patients preferred financial screening conversations be initiated by their providers (83%), happen early (at diagnosis, 45%; when treatment is selected, 37%) and once a month (36%).
More Than 400 Plastic Chemicals Could Be Linked to Breast Cancer
December 10th 2024Researchers have compiled a list of chemicals commonly found in plastics, including benzophenones, chlorinated paraffins and PFAS, known as “forever chemicals,” and they say there might be a connection to breast cancer.
Read More
How Financial Toxicity Screening Can Be Incorporated Into Everyday Healthcare in America
November 15th 2024Breast cancer treatment settings prove to be a good opportunity to talk about financial toxicity. These conversations can also happen in generalized healthcare, according to Laila Gharzai, M.D., LLM, from the Department of Radiation Oncology at Northwestern University.
Read More
Breast Cancer Patients Desire Early, Frequent Financial Screening
November 11th 2024Current financial screening procedures in the United States may need to change, according to recent research done by Laila Gharzai, M.D., LLM, from the Department of Radiation Oncology at Northwestern University.
Read More
