Financial hardship for cancer survivors due to high-cost immunotherapies, especially for blood cancer patients

A study published in the Journal of Cancer Survivorship found that cancer survivors receiving high-cost immunotherapy treatments were more likely to face financial hardship, leading to increased instances of being unable to afford care and taking fewer medications due to cost.

The research, focusing on Medicare-enrolled patients, investigated the financial challenges faced by cancer survivors, particularly those receiving expensive immunotherapies.

“Although it’s well-known that many cancer patients experience financial hardship due to health care costs, there’s not much research available that specifically assesses the financial strain linked to immunotherapy treatments, particularly among Medicare enrollees,” said the study’s senior author Cathy Bradley, Ph.D., Dean of the Colorado School of Public Health on the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.

“As more therapies are developed and the cost of drugs continues to increase, it’s important to determine if patients, even those who are insured, can afford out-of-pocket costs or if these costs are becoming a barrier to access life-saving treatment.”

The authors used data from the 2010–2020 Health and Retirement Study (HRS) to examine cancer survivors aged 65 and older who received infusion and oral immunotherapy. They focused on new immunotherapies due to their growing prevalence, rising costs, prolonged use and the limited availability of lower-cost alternatives.

Blood cancer survivors were more affected by financial strain

The researchers found that financial hardship was particularly an issue for blood cancer survivors (e.g., leukemia, lymphoma), who faced greater financial challenges than those with solid tumor cancers like breast or lung cancer.

For blood cancer survivors, there was a nearly 24 percentage point increase in the likelihood of not being able to afford medical care and a 43 percentage point increase in the likelihood of taking fewer medications than prescribed due to cost.

Yet, while Medicare-insured blood cancer survivors suffered worse financial strain, difficulty in affording care and taking fewer medications as a result was present across all survivors studied.

“Ultimately, our findings stress the importance of addressing the financial burden of cancer care to improve access to treatments. There needs to be some intervention, whether that be better financial support or policy strategies, so survivors don’t have to choose between living with financial stresses or taking life-saving medication. Remember, these patients are insured. I cannot imagine what it is like for those who are uninsured,” Bradley said.