Navigating costs of care in women with breast cancer: Examining racial differences in non-treatment costs and financial toxicity in under-resourced populations struggling to afford medical care.

Abstract

156 Background: Patients with cancer struggle to afford needed medical care alongside daily financial obligations due to rising healthcare costs. This may be more pronounced among minorities who are less likely to seek resources to mitigate their financial distress. This study sought to identify racial differences in non-treatment costs for under-resourced women with breast cancer who sought assistance from Patient Advocate Foundation (PAF). Methods: This cross-sectional study utilized secondary survey data collected from breast cancer patients receiving case management services from PAF in 2018. Respondents answered questions describing their financial distress and COmprehensive Score for financial Toxicity (COST) tool (0-44 with lower scores indicating worse toxicity). Descriptive statistics were calculated using means and standard deviations (SD) for continuous variables and frequencies for categorical variables. Two sample t-tests were used for bivariate comparisons between racial groups. Results: Of 267 breast cancer patients surveyed, 54% were Caucasian, 29% were African American (AA), and 83% indicated a household income of < $48,000. Cohorts expressed strong dissatisfaction with their financial situation with AA impacted more acutely (78% vs 56%) and acknowledged inability to pay for treatment costs (83% vs 58%). Compared to Caucasians, AAs were more often concerned with transportation costs (33% vs 16%) and with day-to-day living expenses (83% vs 59%). Younger (≤55 years) AA respondents were twice as often unable to meet monthly expenses (60% vs. 27%). Older AA respondents ( > 55 years) reported greater distress than older Caucasians (74% vs 57%), while younger Caucasians reported greater distress than their AA counterparts (72% vs 65%). COST scores differed significantly between Caucasians (mean 13, SD 9) and AAs (mean 11, SD 8; p = 0.04). Conclusions: While the impacts of medical care costs were felt by all survey respondents, under-resourced AA breast cancer patients may be at higher risk for household material hardships as financial resources are diverted toward essential healthcare costs.