Dr. Goldberg on Financial Toxicities Faced in Hematology

Stuart L. Goldberg, MD, ahematology specialist at Hackensack University Medical Center,discusses financial toxicities faced in hematology.

It’s widely understood that cancer treatment is very expensive, says Goldberg. Depending on thedisease severity and type of hematologic malignancy, patients could spend over $5,000-$10,000. Moreover,a recent report from the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society indicated that, even if patients have insurance, a lymphoma diagnosis could cost over $6,000-$7,000. For patients who have short-term insurance plans, out-of-pocket costs can range anywhere from $20,000 to $40,000, Goldberg adds. Thisis problematic because it severely affects the quality of life of patients and puts them at risk of financial toxicities, Goldberg explains.

In addition to this, it is understood that patientswith cancer are twice as likely to file for bankruptcy, and when they do so, survival rates drop, says Goldberg. Although this an issue, the extent to which this impacts patients is not fully understood, according to Goldberg.

At every visit, patients should be asked several questions pertainingto how they are feeling, but they are never asked about their payment capacity, says Goldberg. Oftentimes, this question is asked when patients are first diagnosed; however, the question is usually not asked again. At 6 months following diagnosis, when patients or their caregivers haven’t been working and they have depleted their savings to pay for their treatment and attend their visits, perhaps the question should be asked again, concludes Goldberg.