Financial Toxicities Persist for Cancer Survivors Irrespective of Current Cancer Status: An Analysis of Medical...

This study estimates the out-of-pocket (OOP) expenditures for different cancer types among survivors with current vs no current cancer condition and across sex, which is understudied in the literature. This is a cross-sectional study of Medical Expenditure Panel Survey data for 2009-2018 where the primary outcome was the average per year OOP expenditure incurred by cancer survivors. Of 189 285 respondents, 15 010 (7.93%) were cancer survivors; among them, 46.28% had a current cancer condition. Average per year OOP expenditure for female survivors with a current condition of breast cancer ($1730), lung cancer ($1679), colon cancer ($1595), melanoma ($1783), non-Hodgkin lymphoma ($1656), nonmelanoma/other skin cancer (NMSC, $2118) and two or more cancers ($2310) were significantly higher than that of women with no history of cancer ($853, all P < .05). Similarly, average per year OOP expenditure for male survivors with a current condition of prostate cancer ($1457), lung cancer ($1131), colon cancer ($1471), melanoma ($1474), non-Hodgkin's lymphoma ($1653), NMSC ($1789), and bladder cancer ($2157) were significantly higher compared with the men with no history of cancer ($621, all P < .05). These differences persisted in survivors with no current cancer condition for breast cancer among women; prostate, lung, colon, and bladder cancer among men; and melanoma, NMSC, and two or more cancers among both sexes. OOP expenditure varied across cancer types and by sex for survivors with and without a current cancer condition. These findings highlight the need for targeted interventions for cancer survivors.