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HONOLULU – Financial assistance programs may help lower-income cervical cancer patients complete treatment in a timely manner, according to research presented at the Society of Gynecologic Oncology’s Annual Meeting on Women’s Cancer.
In a retrospective study, lower-income patients who used financial assistance programs were able to complete treatment for cervical cancer in a similar timeframe as higher-income patients.
Lower-income patients who registered for disability benefits saw a significant improvement in time to treatment completion.
Additionally, there was a trend toward improved time to treatment completion among lower-income patients who registered for federally funded breast and cervical cancer treatment.
“Identification of patients who qualify for disability and/or breast/cervical cancer Medicaid, and providing assistance for registration in these programs may help them complete therapy in a more appropriate timeframe,” said study investigator Jessica Gillen, MD, of The University of Oklahoma in Oklahoma City.
Dr. Gillen and her colleagues conducted this single-center, retrospective study of patients with squamous cell, adenocarcinoma, or adenosquamous cancer of the cervix.
The investigators identified 116 evaluable patients who received chemoradiation from January 1, 2015, to July 31, 2018. Most of these 106 patients completed treatment in 63 days or less.
The patients’ median household income was $45,782 (range, $19,771–$96,222). The investigators defined “high-income” patients as those whose household incomes were at or above the median, and “low-income” patients as those with incomes below the median.
On average, the patients used 1.24 assistance programs, which included financial assistance (primarily help with clinic visit copays), assistance with medication costs, disability benefits, Medicaid, access to emergency funds, low-cost or free lodging, and transportation.
Dr. Gillen noted that 10% of low-income patients did not use any financial assistance programs.
She and her colleagues found that low-income patients who used assistance programs completed treatment in a similar timeframe as the high-income patients. The median time to treatment completion was 56.5 days and 50 days, respectively.
Registering for disability benefits was significantly associated with improved time to treatment completion (P less than .001).
There were no other significant associations between financial assistance programs and time to treatment completion. However, there was a trend toward improved time to treatment completion among patients who registered for federally funded breast and cervical cancer Medicaid (P = .06).
“[I]t was encouraging to see that enrollment in federally and state-funded programs makes a difference in patients’ ability to complete treatment,” Dr. Gillen said.
She and her colleagues said these data suggest financial assistance programs may help cervical cancer patients overcome barriers to care. Dr. Gillen had no financial disclosures.
SOURCE: Gillen J et al. SGO 2019. Abstract 9.
HONOLULU – Financial assistance programs may help lower-income cervical cancer patients complete treatment in a timely manner, according to research presented at the Society of Gynecologic Oncology’s Annual Meeting on Women’s Cancer.
In a retrospective study, lower-income patients who used financial assistance programs were able to complete treatment for cervical cancer in a similar timeframe as higher-income patients.
Lower-income patients who registered for disability benefits saw a significant improvement in time to treatment completion.
Additionally, there was a trend toward improved time to treatment completion among lower-income patients who registered for federally funded breast and cervical cancer treatment.
“Identification of patients who qualify for disability and/or breast/cervical cancer Medicaid, and providing assistance for registration in these programs may help them complete therapy in a more appropriate timeframe,” said study investigator Jessica Gillen, MD, of The University of Oklahoma in Oklahoma City.
Dr. Gillen and her colleagues conducted this single-center, retrospective study of patients with squamous cell, adenocarcinoma, or adenosquamous cancer of the cervix.
The investigators identified 116 evaluable patients who received chemoradiation from January 1, 2015, to July 31, 2018. Most of these 106 patients completed treatment in 63 days or less.
The patients’ median household income was $45,782 (range, $19,771–$96,222). The investigators defined “high-income” patients as those whose household incomes were at or above the median, and “low-income” patients as those with incomes below the median.
On average, the patients used 1.24 assistance programs, which included financial assistance (primarily help with clinic visit copays), assistance with medication costs, disability benefits, Medicaid, access to emergency funds, low-cost or free lodging, and transportation.
Dr. Gillen noted that 10% of low-income patients did not use any financial assistance programs.
She and her colleagues found that low-income patients who used assistance programs completed treatment in a similar timeframe as the high-income patients. The median time to treatment completion was 56.5 days and 50 days, respectively.
Registering for disability benefits was significantly associated with improved time to treatment completion (P less than .001).
There were no other significant associations between financial assistance programs and time to treatment completion. However, there was a trend toward improved time to treatment completion among patients who registered for federally funded breast and cervical cancer Medicaid (P = .06).
“[I]t was encouraging to see that enrollment in federally and state-funded programs makes a difference in patients’ ability to complete treatment,” Dr. Gillen said.
She and her colleagues said these data suggest financial assistance programs may help cervical cancer patients overcome barriers to care. Dr. Gillen had no financial disclosures.
SOURCE: Gillen J et al. SGO 2019. Abstract 9.
HONOLULU – Financial assistance programs may help lower-income cervical cancer patients complete treatment in a timely manner, according to research presented at the Society of Gynecologic Oncology’s Annual Meeting on Women’s Cancer.
In a retrospective study, lower-income patients who used financial assistance programs were able to complete treatment for cervical cancer in a similar timeframe as higher-income patients.
Lower-income patients who registered for disability benefits saw a significant improvement in time to treatment completion.
Additionally, there was a trend toward improved time to treatment completion among lower-income patients who registered for federally funded breast and cervical cancer treatment.
“Identification of patients who qualify for disability and/or breast/cervical cancer Medicaid, and providing assistance for registration in these programs may help them complete therapy in a more appropriate timeframe,” said study investigator Jessica Gillen, MD, of The University of Oklahoma in Oklahoma City.
Dr. Gillen and her colleagues conducted this single-center, retrospective study of patients with squamous cell, adenocarcinoma, or adenosquamous cancer of the cervix.
The investigators identified 116 evaluable patients who received chemoradiation from January 1, 2015, to July 31, 2018. Most of these 106 patients completed treatment in 63 days or less.
The patients’ median household income was $45,782 (range, $19,771–$96,222). The investigators defined “high-income” patients as those whose household incomes were at or above the median, and “low-income” patients as those with incomes below the median.
On average, the patients used 1.24 assistance programs, which included financial assistance (primarily help with clinic visit copays), assistance with medication costs, disability benefits, Medicaid, access to emergency funds, low-cost or free lodging, and transportation.
Dr. Gillen noted that 10% of low-income patients did not use any financial assistance programs.
She and her colleagues found that low-income patients who used assistance programs completed treatment in a similar timeframe as the high-income patients. The median time to treatment completion was 56.5 days and 50 days, respectively.
Registering for disability benefits was significantly associated with improved time to treatment completion (P less than .001).
There were no other significant associations between financial assistance programs and time to treatment completion. However, there was a trend toward improved time to treatment completion among patients who registered for federally funded breast and cervical cancer Medicaid (P = .06).
“[I]t was encouraging to see that enrollment in federally and state-funded programs makes a difference in patients’ ability to complete treatment,” Dr. Gillen said.
She and her colleagues said these data suggest financial assistance programs may help cervical cancer patients overcome barriers to care. Dr. Gillen had no financial disclosures.
SOURCE: Gillen J et al. SGO 2019. Abstract 9.
REPORTING FROM SGO 2019
