According to a story from SFGate, many survivors of childhood cancers are plagued with financial burdens for the rest of their lives. This is because treatment of childhood cancer can have long term after effects that can lead to a diverse array of new medical problems for survivors. Take the case of Kristi Lowery. She was 13 when a large, rare cancer tumor called Ewing sarcoma was discovered in her back. Aggressive treatment with radiation and chemo was able to get rid of the cancer, but the radiation eventually caused her to develop lung and heart issues, and it may have also been the cause of breast cancer and thyroid cancer that she developed later in life.
No Way to Save
She is 46 years old now, but even with insurance she has to fork over nearly $12,000 per year in medical costs. Kristi has to endure regular monitoring and screening to watch for other cancers or health issues that could appear. Her regular appointments with a variety of specialists and the prescription drugs she must take to manage her health issues have become a major financial drain. Kristi would much prefer to use all of this money for retirement savings, or to help her son go to college.
A Widespread Problem for Survivors
A study conducted by the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital reveals that Kristi is far from an isolated case, and many survivors of childhood cancer are facing similar challenges. The research also revealed that the financial costs were simply too much for many survivors. Nearly half say that they are worried how to pay for the medical care that they need, and about a third of the study participants surveys admitted that they often skipped essential screenings, appointments, and medications because they could not afford them.
Ill Informed, Ill Prepared
The authors also highlight that the phenomenon of ‘financial toxicity’ is noticeably more pronounced in childhood cancer survivors in comparison to patients that were diagnosed as adults. The study also found that many patients did not feel well informed about what the financial burden of cancer care would entail, and only about 51 percent of medical oncologists had a staff member whose job description included discussing finances with patients.
Once again, cost rears its ugly head as a major barrier to treatment access. Clearly, more must be done to help keep cancer survivors informed and allow them better access to care without having to go bankrupt in the process.
You can look at the original study here.
