Correlates of financial toxicity in adult cancer patients and their informal caregivers

Background Financial toxicity is commonly reported by cancer patients, but few studies have assessed caregiver perceptions. We aimed to validate the modified Comprehensive Score for Financial Toxicity (COST) in cancer caregivers, identify factors associated with financial toxicity in both patients a...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Supportive care in cancer 2022-01, Vol.30 (1), p.217-225
Main Authors: Sadigh, Gelareh, Switchenko, Jeffrey, Weaver, Kathryn E., Elchoufi, Deema, Meisel, Jane, Bilen, Mehmet Asim, Lawson, David, Cella, David, El-Rayes, Bassel, Carlos, Ruth
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adults
Aged
Cancer
Cancer patients
Care and treatment
Caregivers
Female
Financial Stress
Health care expenditures
Humans
Male
Medical research
Medicine
Medicine & Public Health
Medicine, Experimental
Middle Aged
Neoplasms
Nursing
Nursing Research
Oncology
Original Article
Pain Medicine
Patients
Poverty
Quality of Life
Rehabilitation Medicine
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Summary:Background Financial toxicity is commonly reported by cancer patients, but few studies have assessed caregiver perceptions. We aimed to validate the modified Comprehensive Score for Financial Toxicity (COST) in cancer caregivers, identify factors associated with financial toxicity in both patients and caregivers, and assess the association of caregiver financial toxicity with patient and caregiver outcomes. Methods Using a convenience sampling method, 100 dyads of adult cancer patients and a primary caregiver visiting outpatient oncology clinics (Jan–Sep 2019) were recruited. We assessed the internal consistency and convergent and divergent validity of the modified COST. Multivariable analyses identified correlates of financial toxicity. Association of financial toxicity with care non-adherence, lifestyle-altering behaviors (e.g., home refinance/sale, retirement/saving account withdrawal), and quality of life (QOL) was investigated. Results Recruited patient vs. caregiver characteristics were as follows: mean age: 60.6 vs. 56.5; 34% vs. 46.4% female; 79% vs. 81.4% white. The caregiver COST measure demonstrated high internal consistency (Cronbach α  = 0.91). In patients, older age ( B , 0.3 [95% CI, 0.1–0.4]) and higher annual household income ( B , 14.3 [95% CI, 9.3–19.4]) correlated with lower financial toxicity ( P  
ISSN:0941-4355
1433-7339
DOI:10.1007/s00520-021-06424-1