Association of Major Adverse Financial Events and Later-Stage Cancer Diagnosis in the United States.
Joan L WarrenAngela B SmithJennifer StevensAmy J DavidoffVeena ShankaranKevin C WardXiao-Cheng WuStephen M SchwartzLynne PenberthyK Robin YabroffPublished in: Journal of clinical oncology : official journal of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (2024)
One third of newly diagnosed patients with cancer had a major AFE before their diagnosis. Patients with AFEs were more likely to have later-stage diagnosis, even accounting for traditional measures of socioeconomic status that influence the stage at diagnosis. The prevalence of prediagnosis AFEs underscores financial vulnerability of patients with cancer before their diagnosis, before any subsequent financial burden associated with cancer treatment.