Dr Yousuf Zafar Explains How Financial Toxicity Impacts Cancer Patients

Insured cancer patients who are experiencing more and more out-of-pocket costs are finding themselves having to cut back on basics like food and clothing, Yousuf Zafar, MD, associate professor of medicine at the Duke Cancer Institute, said in December at the 2014 Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology.

The term financial toxicity is relatively new and it is used to draw parallels between the physical toxicities of chemotherapy and the cost-related burdens cancer patients feel, he explained.

“There is a direct and concrete impact of financial toxicity on the quality of cancer care,” Dr Zafar added.