Correlation Between Financial Toxicity, Quality of Life, and Patient Satisfaction in an Insured Population of Breast Cancer Surgical Patients: A Single-Institution Retrospective Study

Financial Toxicity Following Post-Mastectomy Reconstruction: Consideration for a Novel Outcome Measure

“…16 Reconstructive surgeons have a vested interest in reducing the incidence and severity of FT, to the extent possible, because it dampens the psychosocial benefits of breast reconstruction and patient satisfaction. 4 Of note, the authors also report that the various breast reconstruction subtypes, each with dissimilar cost structures, were not associated with differential risk profiles for FT, a finding reproduced in a recent single-institution study. 12 Undoubtedly, addressing FT will require multi-level policy solutions that are beyond the scope of the present editorial and range from improving financial literacy (patient-level), to embedding financial navigators within breast cancer clinics (institution-level), to de-escalating the provision of low-value services (surgeon-level).…”

“…FT has been associated with poor quality of life, treatment non-adherence, worse symptom burden, and decreased overall survival in cancer patients. [2][3][4] Subsequently, it has gained considerable attention in recent years as health care systems' have renewed their focus on patient-centeredness, following the influential Institute of Medicine Report: Crossing the Quality Chasm. 5 Furthermore, several contemporaneous changes in the organization and financing of US healthcare have likely exacerbated the financial impact of treatment on patients' lives.…”

“…decision regret, worse quality-oflife) is a crucial component of any meaningful effort. 4,13 Future prospective, multicenter studies are needed to create (1) more generalizable results, (2) insights into the trajectory and ameliorating factors for FT, and (3) decompose the relative contributions of ablative surgery, chemotherapy, and breast reconstruction to FT risk. In conclusion, the authors should be congratulated for advancing our knowledge on this topic and for encouraging providers to engage in cost conversations with an eye towards enhanced SDM.…”

Relationship Between Financial Toxicity and Surgical Treatment for Early-Stage Breast Cancer: A Propensity Score-Matched Comparison of Breast-Conserving Therapy and Mastectomy

“…[2][3][4]6,[8][9][10][11][12][13] This is especially salient to patients with breast cancer. [18][19][20]22 Identifying factors triggering or worsening FT is critical to address this issue. In the present single-institution study, the propensity score-matched technique was used to discern the differential risk of FT attributable to the surgical approach for early-stage breast cancer.…”

“…21 Furthermore, FT has been shown to be significantly associated with a worsening of global and condition-specific quality of life among breast cancer surgical patients. [18][19][20]22 Deepening our understanding of the relationship between FT and breast cancer is especially salient in earlystage disease where surgical treatment is preference-sensitive i.e. mastectomy versus breastconserving therapy (BCT), and receipt of breast reconstruction.…”