Financial and food security challenges of Egyptian women undergoing breast cancer treatment.
Support Care Cancer
; 28(12): 5787-5794, 2020 Dec.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-32221669
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Breast cancer treatment is an established cause of financial toxicity, and associated costs may contribute to higher mortality and morbidity rates. In Egypt, breast cancer incidence and mortality rates are among the highest in the Middle East. Late-stage diagnosis is common, and disease occurs at an earlier age than in Europe and North America. Out-of-pocket payments are the primary means of financing healthcare in Egypt, and socioeconomic factors have been shown to significantly impact access to cancer screening and treatment.METHODS:
An observational cross-sectional study was conducted among breast cancer patients at Ain Shams University Hospitals in Cairo from 2013 to 2015.RESULTS:
One hundred women with breast cancer participated. There was a high need for financial assistance (66.0%) and patients with financial needs had great difficulty affording medications (80.0%). A number of patients had lost their jobs following diagnosis, with 32.7% employed prior to diagnosis and 15.3% afterwards. Nearly one-half of participants were classified as food insecure, and nearly one-third reported difficulty affording transportation costs.CONCLUSIONS:
This is the first study to describe socioeconomic needs and financial impact among a cohort of Egyptian women undergoing breast cancer treatment. The findings highlight the financial impact of breast cancer treatment on a cohort of Egyptian breast cancer patients and the need for a multidisciplinary approach to help them access and mitigate the costs of treatment. Recommendations include implementing patient financial navigation services and producing printed materials to inform patients of resources to help mitigate the treatment's financial impact.Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Fatores Socioeconômicos
/
Neoplasias da Mama
/
Segurança Alimentar
Tipo de estudo:
Guideline
/
Health_economic_evaluation
/
Observational_studies
/
Prevalence_studies
/
Risk_factors_studies
Limite:
Female
/
Humans
/
Middle aged
País/Região como assunto:
Africa
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Support Care Cancer
Assunto da revista:
NEOPLASIAS
/
SERVICOS DE SAUDE
Ano de publicação:
2020
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
Estados Unidos