An innovative, internet-based assessment of financial toxicity (FT), psychological distress, and quality of life (QOL) in ovarian cancer survivors (OCS).

Abstract

e24168 Background: FT is recognized as a significant predictor of stress for OCS on treatment yet little is known about its impact during long-time survivorship. Using an innovative, internet-based design, we assessed the prevalence of FT, psychological distress, and QOL among OCS. Methods: OCS members from the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition (NOCC) completed this web-based assessment using the following measures: COmprehensive Score for Financial Toxicity (COST); Hospital Anxiety/Depression Scale (HADSA/D); and the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Ovarian (FACIT-O/QOL). Clinical/socio-demographic data were collected. COST-FT severity was categorized into low FT/high FT and the correlation (r) between COST scores and self-reported QOL and distress was conducted. Results: A total of 146/300 (49% ) NOCC subjects were approached for study participation and completed the FT, distress, QOL web-based assessment. Demographics include: median age 59y (range 32-83y); 92.5% Caucasian, 64.4% married/domestic partnership; 59.6% Stage III-IV cancer-diagnosis; median disease duration 6y (range < 1-34y); 50% employed full/part-time; 54.8% college/post-graduate education; and 71.9% completed treatment. Median COST score for the total population was 27 (range: 1–44). The median score in the low FT tertile was 16 (range: 1-22), while the high FT median score was 31 (range: 23-44). High FT respondents rated their HADS-anxiety (8.3 ± 4.9 v. 6.2 ± 3.5, p = 0.002); HADS-depression (5.3 ± 4.2 v. 3.1 ± 3.0, p = 0.004); and overall FACT-O/QOL (99.8 ± 23.6 v. 118.7 ± 19.5; p = 0.001) as significantly worse compared to low FT respondents. Significant moderate correlations between COST and FACT-O/QOL (r = -0.52; p < 0.001), HADS-anxiety (r = 0.4, p < 0.001), and HADS-depression (r = 0.44, p < 0.001) were identified. Older age was associated with less FT (r = -0.30, p < 0.001). Conclusions: Innovative methods of FT evaluation, e.g. using advocacy groups (NOCC) and internet-based assessment, is feasible, and may offer new ways to follow the distress of long term survivor cohorts. Our study data reveal that FT impacts OCS QOL and distress.