The costs of cancer

The costs of cancer


Pain, tests, operations, fear, chemotherapy, hair loss, nausea … most people know about these horrific physical challenges of fighting cancer.

However, unless you’ve personally experienced the battle against cancer, you may not realize the toll it takes on a patient’s finances.

With sky-high medical bills, battles with insurance companies and missed work to undergo treatment or to care for a cancer-stricken loved one, the potential for financial stress caused by cancer is very real.

Results of a new study show that 89 percent of insured patients surveyed had to change their lifestyles in some way to help them cope with the financial toll.

The study showed that dipping into savings, cutting back on spending and going into debt are common among cancer patients and their families. It’s an extra load of stress for patients at what is already a very difficult time.

The researchers also examined treatment-related decisions some cancer patients make to stay afloat financially. More than one-third of the patients in the study reported they did not strictly follow their doctors’ prescribed plan of care, in an effort to minimize costs.

Some didn’t complete as many treatments as recommended, while others took less medicine than instructed. Obviously, reducing treatments and medications could also reduce one’s chances of beating cancer.

The study examined patients with health insurance. Undoubtedly, patients without health insurance face even steeper costs.

These gloomy stats underscore the importance of regular doctor visits and self-checks to identify suspicious lumps or other symptoms. Cancer caught early is more likely to be treatable, reducing the physical, emotional and financial burden of care.

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