Pre- and Post-Treatment Patient-Reported Financial Toxicity in Head and Neck Cancer: Identifying Influential Factors and Clinical Significance

Abstract

Head and neck cancer patients are at high-risk for financial stress due to the often complex, time-consuming, and expensive treatments that can impact physical function and quality of life. It is important to identify factors that affect financial toxicity early on in treatment and to help mitigate their effects. The goals of this study are to assess patient-reported financial toxicity prior to and after completion of radiation therapy (RT) and to uncover any interactions with socioeconomic factors, quality of life, treatment satisfaction, and treatment adherence. A total of 80 patients who were evaluated for RT to the head and neck region between July 2021 and December 2022 and had completed surveys prior to the initiation of RT were included. Surveys included the FACIT-COST and FACIT-TS-G. Patient clinical information and demographics were collected. Linear regression was used to evaluate categorical variables and Pearson correlation was used to evaluate continuous variables and their associations with COST. The median pre-RT COST was 29.5 (range 4-44) with lower scores indicating worse financial toxicity. The majority of patients were white (69%), non-Hispanic (75%), and English-speaking (75%). 65% had Medicare, 14% had Medicaid, and 21% had other insurance. 60 of 80 (75%) patients ultimately underwent RT at our institution. 34 (57%) missed at least one day of scheduled RT fractions and 11 (14%) patients had G-tubes placed. Lower COST was associated with decreased age, thyroid primary disease, advanced stage, metastatic disease, Medicaid insurance, Hispanic ethnicity, unemployment, and G-tube placement. Higher COST was associated with cutaneous primary disease and ability to speak English, while Medicare insurance trended toward significance. 18 of 80 patients (23%) completed follow-up surveys post-RT and 9 reported a decrease in COST. At baseline, the standard deviation of the COST was 10.6. Effect size was defined as the number of standard deviation change. Mean decrease in COST was 9.4 (effect size of 89%). Mean FACT-TS-G was lower, indicating decreased treatment satisfaction, for these patients as compared to those that had the same or increased COST compared to baseline, (17.4 vs. 22.7, p < 0.01). There were more missed RT days, 4 vs. 1, and G-tube placements, 2 vs. 0, in those with decreased COST as well. Worse baseline financial toxicity was associated with younger age, advanced stage, metastatic disease, Medicaid insurance, unemployment, and G-tube placement. Those that reported worsened financial toxicity after RT reported worse treatment satisfaction and had more missed RT days and G-tube placements. These findings support work to better understand financial toxicity as it may predict those at higher risk of missing treatments, particularly crucial considering prolonged RT duration is linked to poorer outcomes. Future efforts will focus on automating early referrals to case managers and social work services for these patients.