Many Colorectal Cancer Patients Face Enormous Health Costs, Study Reveals

Statistics show that colorectal cancer is one of the most common in the United States. Yet regular screenings and certain prevention methods, such as not smoking and eating a healthy diet, can help prevent the health issue or catch any problems early on.

Unfortunately, screenings for such issues, with the most commonly being a colonscopy, can be quite costly. Statistics show that nearly two-thirds of patients treated for colorectal cancer also reported some measure of financial burden due to their treatment, according to recent findings conducted by researchers at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center.

This burden was greatest among patients who received chemotherapy and among younger individuals who also worked in low-paying jobs.

For the study, researchers surveyed 956 patients who had been treated for stage 3 colorectal cancer. Among this group, chemotherapy is best known to increase survival by up to 20 percent, with routine surgery oftentimes also recommended.

"The financial burden was higher in patients who received chemotherapy - a potentially lifesaving treatment. To ensure that patients can receive all recommended care, we need to recognize the financial burden of cancer and identify patients at risk for financial concerns," said lead study author Christine M. Veenstra, M.D., M.S.H.P., clinical lecturer in hematology/oncology at the University of Michigan Medical School. "We found that younger, working low-income patients were especially likely to face financial burden. These are people who may not be able to afford to take time off from their jobs to get recommended cancer care, including chemotherapy."

Those identified through the Surveillance, Epidemiolgoy and End Results cancer registries for the Metro Detroit area and the state of Georgia were asked to answer a seven-question survey that asked whether they were had used savings, borrowed money, skipped bill payments or simply cut back on food items, clothing or certain recreational activities.

Findings revealed that about 38 percent did not indicate financial burden based on the seven questions, yet a remaining 62 percent indicated the following, courtesy of a release.

-29 percent indicated 1-2 areas of burden
-23 percent indicated 3-4 areas of burden
-9 percent indicated 5 or more burdens

Over half of patients also added that they had cut down on expenses in general, with patients who had chemotherapy significantly more likely to pick a financial burden.

"It's important to note that this financial burden is experienced on top of all that patients are going through with the cancer itself. The financial burden hits hard," concluded senior study author Arden M. Morris, M.D., M.P.H., chief of colorectal surgery at the University of Michigan Medical School and associate professor of health behavior and health education at the School of Public Health.

More information regarding the findings can be seen via the journal Medical Care.