Financial toxicity among cancer patients, survivors and their families in the United Kingdom: a scoping review

Tran T Ngan*, Tran H Tien, Michael Donnelly, Ciaran O'Neill

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

10 Citations (Scopus)
54 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Background
The aim of this scoping review was to identify key research gaps and priorities in order to advance policy and practice for people living with cancer in the UK.

Methods
The review adhered to PRISMA guidelines for scoping review. We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, Scopus, Web of Science and Google Scholar on 16 July 2022. There were no restrictions in terms of study design and publication time; gray literature was included. The key words, ‘financial’ or ‘economic’, were combined with each of the following words ‘hardship/stress/burden/distress/strain/toxicity/catastrophe/consequence/impact.’

Results
29/629 studies/reports published during 1982–2022 were eligible to be included in the review. No study conducted a comprehensive inquiry and reported all aspects of financial toxicity (FT) or used a validated measure of FT. The most three commonly reported outcomes related to financial hardship were financial well-being (24/29), benefit/welfare (17/29) and mental health status (16/29).

Conclusions
It is evident that FT is experienced by UK cancer patients/survivors and that the issue is under-researched. There is an urgent need for further research including rigorous studies which contribute to a comprehensive understanding about the nature and extent of FT, disparities in experience, the impacts of FT on outcomes and potential solutions to alleviate FT and related problems.


Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)e702-e713
Number of pages12
JournalJournal of Public Health
Volume45
Issue number4
Early online date04 Aug 2023
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Dec 2023

Keywords

  • Financial Toxicity
  • Cancer
  • United Kingdom (UK)
  • Health economics

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